The Adventures of Lara Nelson
by siriusenigma
Summary: The Doctor meets a new companion. She is fierce, loyal, compassionate, and brave... but she might be more than she seems. First attempt, no haters please. ON HIATUS - I WILL RETURN!
1. Prologue

Prologue

The Doctor missed Rose. That was the truth, the honest truth, no matter what deity he believed in. The truth was that after 19 years, he still missed Rose.

He knew that other people – Rose in particular – had desired him. The truth was that he had desired her, as well. He had desired her from day one, back when he had big ears and a leather jacket and no tact. He had, and always would, cherish the moments that she kissed him: once in his 9th body, once after they found the Stone Rose, and once at the hospital in New New York. They had been some of the best moments of his life. Weeeeellll maybe not that New New York kiss, but moving on.

Being with Rose had made him come alive, both in body and soul. He had fantasized about her many times. He wanted Rose in every way, with every part of his body and mind, though he had never admitted it. Though his ship had known it, even she didn't dare confront him about the matter.

Unfortunately, this had changed nothing.

Rose was not a Time Lord, and she was not Gallifreyan. She was not practically immortal. She could not regenerate. It was as he had told her: "You can spend the rest of your life with me. But I can't spend the rest of mine with you. I have to live on. Alone. That's the curse of the Time Lords."

It was for this reason, above all, that he could never be with Rose. This had never been up for debate in his mind, not for a second. It was the unwavering truth, just like the truth that the sky in Gallifrey was orange or that he was the Doctor. He was the Doctor, and it was his job to save the world. It was his job to do all the things that the Time Lords could not. And this did not include Rose.

The adventures he had with Rose were a breath of fresh air. They were dangerous, sometimes even deadly, but they were nothing compared to the perils that he saved for himself. He could not take a wife, or a partner. The partner would deserve better, and his distraction might cost lives.

His human self would tell her that, now, he was sure. His human self could tell her all of the things that he had wanted to tell her, and give her all of the things that he'd wanted to give her. He also was sure that Rose already knew. That was why he loved her.

Humans, put in his situation, would have been overwhelmed by the things he was feeling now: angry at the unfairness of the universe, distraught by Rose's departure, jealous of his human self, and pride that at least a part of him would always be with her. However, the saddest part of all was that he was, by now, somewhat numb to the entire process.

This was why he searched for adventure, above all else. Adventure made him come alive again. These days, adventure was the only time he felt alive. It was running, he knew that. Still, people were saved while the Doctor was running, so perhaps it was worth it. People were saved, and he felt alive.

Needless to say, these days, he was running more than ever.


	2. Chapter 1: Rose Serum

Author's Note: I'd like to update this every week, but I'm pretty busy. I'll just say it'll be updated on the first of every month, and if it gets updated more often I've been particularly ambitious. Again, please, no haters, this is a first attempt.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Doctor Who universe, because if I did, David Tennant would be mine, but only on days that end with a "Y."

Chapter One: Rose Serum

The Doctor had set the TARDIS for "random". He had traveled with the TARDIS for 900 years, and he wasn't stupid. He knew that the TARDIS accurately interpreted his pressing random to mean "send me to a place where people need saving, and I can forget about the pain." Usually setting the TARDIS for random meant ending up on Clom or in the Medusa Cascade, or, as often as not, squarely in the middle of an unspecified battle.

Instead, he appeared to be on the corner of a somewhat-busy street in (he checked the monitor in the TARDIS) Willaton, Wisconsin. He was mildly surprised. He'd never been to Willaton before. He heard they made excellent sugar candies.

The hum of the busy street was suddenly interrupted by the horrible wailing of a loud siren, as a police car, a fire truck, and an ambulance whizzed by, one after the other. They turned into a parking lot in front of The Doctor, and appeared to head up a driveway to a building obscured by trees.

The Doctor had traveled with the TARDIS for 900 years, and he wasn't stupid. With a grin, he headed toward the red and blue lights.

Closer to the building, he was met by chaos. The doors to the building were wide open, but the heavy locks and card-swipe machine told the Doctor that this was unusual. The doors should have been closed and locked.

More alarmingly, on the front lawn, a girl was screaming obscenities and attempting to punch and bite at two middle-aged women who were draped across her securely. A staff lanyard was hanging from one woman's neck, and a second staff lanyard had been cast aside in the grass near the second woman. Both staff members looked tired, but resolute. More screaming was coming from inside the building. In the distance, two teenage boys appeared to be running into the woods, and an elderly lady with a staff lanyard was chasing them half-heartedly.

The front of the building clearly said, "Pennies for Mental Health".

He had come to a mental health facility, seemingly for teenagers. And, judging by the usual pattern of his adventures, the residents seemed to have all become aggressive at the same time.

Time to dive in. "Allon's-y!" The Doctor started with the two running boys. While running after them, he searched in his pocket, digging around and ultimately pulling out a small, silver dart gun device. He turned his sonic to setting 2,072 and inserted it into the dart gun.

The Doctor could have caught up with the boys, but in truth this was easier, and it was more humane not to let this go on. The first dart hit the first boy squarely in the shin, and the second hit the second boy in his upper arm.

Several things happened at once. First, the older lady with the staff badge yelled, "Hey!" Simultaneously, the first boy grabbed his leg and screamed, "Ow, you asshole! You'll pay for that!" He began to run toward the Doctor. Not a split second after, both boys appeared to shake in shock as the serum in the dart began to affect them. Large pupils slowly regained their normal size, and both boys appeared to slump.

The first boy continued toward the Doctor with his hand up, though the fire had gone out of his eyes. The second boy grabbed his arm. "Malichi, stop! I don't know what he gave us, but it's helped, look! Where the hell were we even trying to run to?"

The staff lady shot the Doctor a look of relief tinged with suspicion, and the Doctor took his chance. "I hope you feel better now. I've given you a shot of a special, ah, government-regulated serum that should balance your chemical levels. Are you hurt at all?"

The lady with the staff badge appeared to be in shock, and Malichi appeared to be trying to decide whether or not he still wanted to hit the Doctor. The second boy, who was skinny with sandy brown hair, recovered first. "Thanks for that. My name is Seth. I don't know what it is, but I've been going nuts all day! I'm not sure what's going on, but I've never seen anything like this before. It's like the worst times in my life, the worst feelings I've ever had, all decided to come together and have a party."

Seth appeared ready to say more, but the lady with the staff badge cut in first. "Thank you very much, Sir. But I'll need to see some sort of identification. I'm Miss Carolyn, by the way."

"Of course," the Doctor said, whipping out the psychic paper. "Head Detective of the Wisconsin Mental Health Association. Name is John Smith, but most people call me The Doctor." And, because Miss Carolyn still looked suspicious, he added, "We've been having quite a time of it at the ol' WMHA. I was deployed as soon as they could spare me to sort the problem, and these young gentlemen ran past me on the way in the door. And please, young man, _do_ put your hand down. It's very rude in some cultures to take so long to decide whether or not you're going to attack."

Malichi put his hand down, and the Doctor continued, "Thank you. Now, please, tell me when this started." He directed the question at Seth.

Miss Carolyn sighed. Her eyes were confused. She began to walk toward the building after Seth, Malichi, and the Doctor. When Seth began to speak, she spoke across him sharply. "I really must insist that you speak to my Supervisor, Lawrence, or our Program Director, Kara."

"I most certainly will Miss Carolyn, thank you. However, I would very much like to hear what's been going on from Seth's point of view."

Seth, who had been undeterred by Miss Carolyn's request, had already begun talking. "It started this morning. We took showers, and ate, and took our meds, and one by one it was like… well, it was being the angriest you've ever been, but nobody knew why. And it happened to all of us… well, most of us. The bus never came… I don't think it did, anyway. We waited for it, but it never showed up. And I just kept… and I couldn't stop… none of us could. It was like a normal rage… but it never ended."

It was at that point that Miss Carolyn led the small group back into the building. The Doctor leaned down surreptitiously and grabbed the dart that had come out of Seth's leg. It tasted of blood and normal human chemicals… nothing out of the ordinary. The Doctor continued on.

Unfortunately, the inside of the building mirrored the chaos that the Doctor had seen earlier on the outside of the building. The girl and two staff members that the Doctor had seen earlier on the front lawn had relocated to the stairwell, and a small boy was attempting to kick one of the staff members in the head. Two men with lanyards and a policeman chased a group of five boys up the stairway out of sight. A girls' high-pitched screams came from behind a door on the left, and the door shuddered violently as though someone was kicking it from behind. There were two visible holes in the wall near the stairway, and the glass in one of the doors had shattered entirely all over the floor. Worst of all, the words "Fuck you a" were written in blood on the wall near the shattered pieces of glass.

It was worse than he'd thought. The Doctor turned to Miss Carolyn and explained, "I've got to get some supplies from my… car." Before she could protest, he ran out the door. He had been lucky to have been carrying enough serum even for two humans, but he was sure there was more in the TARDIS. Sure enough, the TARDIS had left a large bottle of serum on the counter, as well as 8 injector devices. "You clever ship you," he grinned, and ran once more out of the TARDIS.

Shortly before entering the main building once more, The Doctor was met by Seth, Malichi, Miss Carolyn, and a short black woman in dress clothes and heels. The Doctor understood the dress clothes to mean that this woman had an administrative position. Her black bun was held squarely on her head, and despite multiple strands which had escaped, she still managed to look professional and intimidating. "My name is Kiara Windthorp, Deputy Director. I'm sure you've heard we've been having quite the day. Miss Carolyn has said you've brought the cure. I very much hope that's true."

The Doctor grinned, holding up the bottle of serum and injector devices. "Weeeeellllll, not a cure, really, but it will regulate their body chemistry for a total of 24 hours. By that time we'll need to have found the root of the problem… although, root of the problem may not be the best term… maybe the amygdala of the problem, in this case, or perhaps the hypothalamus..."

"Doctor Smith!" Kiara said firmly. "I'm sorry, but as you must understand, even in this situation, I must insist that you provide evidence of your identity and permission from our resident psychiatrist, Dr. Frampton, to administer… what do you call it?"

"Rosalophetamine," he stated, not missing a beat, "Or Rose Serum for short. The government reacted quickly to this crisis and is here to help." He also held up his psychic paper, taking advantage of the fact that Miss Carolyn and the two boys had retreated back into the building. "I can get you more detailed paperwork later," he added. "But please, quickly administer this to only the children who have acted abnormally. It will regulate their bio-chemistry and rectify whatever damage has been done for 24 hours."

"In that case, please wait here, Doctor." The psychic paper seemed to have convinced her of the Doctor's identity, but apparently this did not help the Doctor's ability to investigate at the moment. Kiara gestured to the bench outside the building as though gesturing to a large office, then realized her mistake. Eyeing the blood on the wall, she picked up the bottle of newly-dubbed "Rose Serum" and seven of the eight injector devices and flounced inside with pursed lips and a quiet cough.

The Doctor hated waiting, and so it was after he administered three more children with Rose Serum that Kiara found him again. She now eyed him with her coldest glare yet, stating, "I thank you very much for your help, Doctor Smith."

"Just Doctor, please," he replied.

"Yes, well, Doctor, I really must insist that you discuss the situation with me in my office. I assure you that the situation is under control now, at least, as you said, for 24 hours. What is it that the Mental Health Association requires from us to help stabilize the patients past 24 hours, and discover the, as you put it, 'amygdala of the problem?'"

The Doctor was ready for her question. "Please tell me where I can find whichever member of your staff has been here the longest, and best knows the children who are the most severe."

***Doctor Who***

The Doctor hated waiting. At this point he wasn't particularly fond of Kiara either, though he supposed she was just doing her job. "You must be very tired," she'd insisted. "Just wait in my office, and I'll go find one of our Therapists for you."

For the first nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds, at least his wait was productive. He managed to peruse most of the history of Pennies Mental Health, and memorize details of the blue prints and floor plans for the campus. He quickly gained access to Kiara's computer, and just as quickly deduced that nobody with network access had any ulterior motive, at least not on this scale. Two of the employees of the CFO were attempting to embezzle small sums of money from the company. One of the staff members that was labeled as terminated had managed to hack into the computers and do seemingly absolutely nothing. One of the nurses had a habit of not passing out correct medication occasionally and then covering it up, but had not been punished for it. Miss Kiara used her personal account to bet on horse races. None of it was important. Even the last 30 days of security camera footage showed nothing out of the ordinary, though many of the staff seemed prone to sleep during the third shift.

At nine minutes and thirty seconds, he hacked the internet and found something relevant: apparently, the events at Pennies were not unique; in fact, Pennies was one of many treatment homes for mentally ill adolescents that seemed to have been thrown into chaos. This was mentioned only in reference to its drain on several cities' emergency services, and as an explanation for a slight rise in crime that morning.

After ten minutes and 47 seconds, the Doctor was completely bored. He had erased the horse-racing app from Kiara's computer, and put flags on the various wrong-doings of various staff members so that they would appear on Kiara's computer at random intervals later. He had even briefly investigated the other treatment centers mentioned in various news stories. He had found that there were no links except that each was located in a major city and treated adolescents.

At thirteen minutes and twenty-four seconds, The Doctor began to contemplate rigging the horse races so that Kiara would win and then would have to donate the money to Pennies', but decided against it.

Finally, at fourteen minutes and eighteen seconds, the door opened and a girl entered the room. The girl appeared young, and could not have been older than 30. Perhaps she had looked professional when she had arrived at work that morning, as she currently wore black pants and a dress shirt, however now she appeared unkempt. Her hair was pulled back in a yellow pony-tail which clashed with her shirt, and quite a bit of the hair had fallen out of the pony-tail and was tucked behind her ear. Her pants were stained with mud and what appeared to be blood. She seemed to be favoring one leg, and no amount of make-up could cover up a small cut on her cheek, despite someone's best efforts.

Still, despite her unkempt nature, the girls' eyes were bright with emotion, and a keen intellect. Also, the Doctor could see a deep pain. He could tell that this girl was very disturbed by the events of the day, and she did not hide it well. The glare the girl gave Kiara as she bid the Doctor farewell told the Doctor explicitly that she did not appreciate being removed from whatever she had been doing prior to her arrival.

"You'd rather be someplace else?"

"I'm sorry," she said, acknowledging his presence for the first time. "They administered the serum to my clients before I left, I insisted on it. But I wanted to stay and process with them. They're all pretty shaken up."

"Alright then, Allons-y!" he told her, jumping up. When she appeared stunned, he added, "Please, lead me to them. The best way to investigate is hands-on!"

However, when the girl led the Doctor back to the older boys' unit, all of the clients were sleeping soundly. "It's a good thing," said Miss Carolyn, who was nursing a split lip. "We've been at this all day. We needed a break."

Appearing to realize that she had been rude, the girl finally faced the Doctor. "My name is Lara Nelson. I'm the Therapist for the older boys' unit. Malichi and Seth told me you'd helped them. Thank you very much. I'll answer all your questions. Please step into my office."

Lara's office was tiny, but full of color and life. A picture of Gandhi held the place of honor on the wall, with the saying, "An eye for an eye makes everyone blind." Diplomas were hung regally behind a large desk chair, however one of them was crooked. The office was covered in pictures made by children, and a few photos.

Without preamble, the Doctor sat long-ways on the couch, propping his feet up on the edge and scooting around to get comfortable. "Right. So, what happened?"

Lara sighed, slumping down in her chair. She seemed to collect herself. It took her a long time to speak. "It happened before I got here this morning. I was called in around 7 this morning to help. It was like… well, like their medications weren't working. It was like they all went off their medications cold-turkey… well, most of them."

"Most of them… that's the second time I've heard that. You said most of the boys became aggressive this morning… were there any exceptions?"

Lara looked as though she might have been impressed with his deduction skills if she wasn't so tired. "Only two of my boys haven't shown aggression this morning. One is my anti-social boy, my sociopath. He stood around laughing at everything, but whatever happened to the others this morning didn't appear to make him… well, whatever happened to the other boys. Actually, it seemed to happen to the boys in varying degrees." She sighed again with exhaustion. "I mean to say, the boys that are the most severely mentally ill got the most out of hand this morning, but even the ones that are rarely behavioral got a bit upset.

"The only other boy that didn't react differently is the one who doesn't take medication. That, and the differing degrees in which the boys reacted, has made the _other_ staff think that someone must have done something to the boys' medications." It was there, just for a split second – a look that showed the Doctor that she doubted that the boys' aggression had anything to do with a change in their medications. Then the look was gone, and her face was back to portraying only her exhaustion.

He had caught her slip, the quick look of doubt. "You don't think this is right? Please, tell me everything. What do you think?"

"I think… I mean… I suppose it must be true. I guess it _must_ be their medications." But she wouldn't meet his eye. Her hand started to shake, just slightly, and she was turning pale. The Doctor realized that she was holding back tears.

Suddenly and without preamble, the Doctor grabbed Lara's hand and pulled her across the desk. With his other hand, he stabbed the Rose Serum into her arm.


	3. Chapter 2: Not Leaving My Sight

Author's Note: I'd like to update this every week, but I'm pretty busy. I'll just say it'll be updated on the first of every month, and if it gets updated more often I've been particularly ambitious. Again, please, no haters, this is a first attempt.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Doctor Who universe, because if I did, David Tennant would be mine, but only on days that end with a "Y."

Chapter Two: Do You Really Think I'd Let You Out of My Sight?

The change in Lara was instant, as it had been in Seth and Malichi. Her hand stopped shaking, and the color returned to her face. The haggardness of the day in her eyes and face was gone, and replaced entirely with the keen intellect he had seen earlier. "Thank you," she said quietly. Then, "How did you know?"

"I'm a doctor."

Lara obviously had her reservations, but appeared to let the matter slide for now. "I've had panic attacks since I was young, and I've been fighting them off all day."

"You didn't go home and take care of yourself?"

"The clients needed me. Helping them is the only thing that can distract me from my panic attacks, anyway. By the time I realized how bad they were, I was already caught up in the fray."

"I need to find out what is causing this, Lara," the Doctor said, leaning back in his chair. "Please tell me everything you know. Everything, including your own symptoms. I will know if you keep secrets from me again."

Lara looked at him, wide-eyed but ashamed. "I took my medication at home, before I came. It worked like normal, until I got here. Then I started having panic attacks again. It must've been something I was exposed to here, this morning."

The Doctor jumped up, gesturing for Lara to do the same. "Food? Water? Did it hit you when you stepped out of the car, or after you washed your hands?"

Lara did not miss a beat, the fatigue of her earlier visage gone and a fire in her eyes. Sensing that he was about to leave, she began to quickly gather her purse from inside a drawer and re-adjusted the pony-tail on her head. "'Can't have been the food. I haven't eaten any food from here lately. What about the air?"

"'Can't have been the air," he replied, ready for the question. "It would've spread too rapidly. Right now this has happened in several treatment facilities for adolescents across the country. If it had been the air, it would've circulated too quickly. Ready to go?"

Lara nodded. "I have 24 hours before I'll need another shot of the Rose Serum for myself and the boys, according to you. Sorry, but you don't really think I'm going to let you out of my sight that easily, do you?"

***Doctor Who***

Despite his long wait for Lara's arrival, the Doctor was thankful that he had had the time to memorize the blue prints of the campus. "The water flows into the campus from one main point. From there, it's filtered to all of the other areas of the campus." While he talked, he used his sonic screwdriver to unlock the nearest car, a navy Ford Taurus.

"I feel like I should be asking you how you know all this," Lara responded.

"I'm clever."

"I figured you'd say something like that. Who are you again?" She was keeping up with him, and it was beginning to make him suspicious.

"I'm Head Detective of the Wisconsin Mental Health Association," he said, flashing again the psychic paper as he climbed into the drivers' seat. He hoped it would convince her to stop asking questions.

Instead, it seemed to do the opposite. She just laughed. "This paper only says that you're going to save Pennies. It doesn't say anything at all about you being Head Detective. Let's go."

The Doctor flashed Lara a quizzical look, but Lara did not move to get out of the car. Finally, the Doctor said carefully, "Well, looks like you found me out. In that case, this car is way too slow. I'd rather use my own ride."

"Okay," Lara said, climbing quickly out of the car. "Shame we're not stealing the car, though. It belongs to Mary. She's kind of a bitch."

***Doctor Who***

"Ladies first," the Doctor said to Lara after he unlocked the TARDIS. She looked at the box skeptically for a minute, but said nothing. He was surprised, however, when she walked into the spaceship with no questions, though there was sheer terror in her eyes.

Weird. It usually wasn't that easy. This girl definitely had a death wish. The Doctor followed Lara inside, shutting the door and starting the engines.

Lara turned to the Doctor as he began to start the engines and stated abruptly, "Right, so if you've don't have honorable intentions, let me know now, because the suspense is killing me."

Who _was_ this girl? What kind of human would walk into a place where she thought that he might… that he might… He rolled his eyes. " _No,_ I'm not that kind of alien. At least, not this regeneration. You never know about the next."

"Prove it." Her glare was fierce, terror-free, and wild.

For the first time in a long time, the Doctor was genuinely shocked, though he recovered quickly. "I really thought we were going to at some point cover the whole 'bigger on the inside' thing, but brilliant! Allons-y!"

The TARDIS took off from the ground and flew quickly into the air with a _whoosh_ , landing a few seconds later with a _thud._ Upon stepping out, Lara's face registered surprise – shock perhaps at finding herself in the situation, but not, the Doctor thought, at the situation in general.

"You've met aliens before?" he asked her.

"No. I've heard about them a lot though. It's not as though they're a big secret, coming around England every Christmas like they have been." Looking around at their surroundings, her face narrowed with suspicion.

"We should be next to the main water source that feeds into your work," the Doctor explained. The place was damp, dark, and appeared sinister, but Lara seemed to take the sound of the rushing water as proof that they were still on the appointed mission for the time being.

Sensing the girl's acquiescence, the Doctor grabbed Lara's hand and rushed forward into the next room. There was a large device into the middle of the room that seemed to be adding chemicals to the water as it was filtered through a large tube.

The Doctor scanned the device with his sonic screwdriver, then narrowed his eyes at the results. Lara looked at him quizzically.

"Sontarans," the Doctor said. The device popped off of the water filter and crashed onto the floor, lifeless. The Doctor picked it up and placed it in a large pocket.

"What?" Lara asked.

"Sontarans. Short little war beings from the planet Sontar. Look like a potato. Never met one I liked. Weeeeeeeellllll maybe once."

Lara again recovered quickly from the news that there was alien involvement in her workplace and said, "War beings?"

"They've been at war for thousands of years with the Rutans." He brandished his sonic screwdriver, and added, "Now that I know what I'm scanning for, I'll know exactly where to find…"

Suddenly the sonic began to light up and whir.

"Got it!" the Doctor said excitedly, and, grabbing Lara's hand, ran back to the ship.

***Doctor Who***

The Doctor was in full gear as he bounced around the ship, flipping knobs and turning dials. He spoke so rapidly that Lara could barely keep up. "…and why would they be such cowards? Normally a Sontaran insists on being prideful and facing their enemies, but this lot have been reduced to putting chemicals in the water... I have to go find out. So, anyway, now I just have to turn this dial clockwise, and I can drop you back off and then-…"

"Wait, hold on, what?"

"…Very much appreciate your help, you understand, and-…"

"I've told you. You're the only one with the Rose Serum. We only have eight shots and a bottle's worth. There's too much at stake. I'm going with you."

The Doctor weighed his options in his mind briefly. It had only been 19 Earth years since he left Rose and his doppelganger on the beach… was it time for a new companion already? It would definitely help the misery.

Was she a worthy companion? Brave, yes. Compassionate, no doubt. Intelligent, certainly. Actually, she reminded him very much of Rose.

He decided to save that thought for later. The truth was, he nor the TARDIS would have allowed her inside in the first place if she had not been worthy.

One trip, he decided.

"Fine."


	4. Chapter 3: MKUltra

Author's Note: First of the month… made it!

*MKUltra in reality was the CIA's mind control program, researched from 1950 to 1973, with actual human test subjects. Seriously, look it up.

*Yes, I totally Easter Egg'd the 7th Doctor's umbrella.

*Thanks for all the reviews and follows, you guys are awesome!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Doctor Who universe, because if I did, David Tennant would be mine, but only on days that end with a "Y."

Chapter Three: MKUltra

When the TARDIS landed with a grind of gears, Lara shot the Doctor a nervous look. He smiled reassuringly, handing her a long necklace with a large, engraved pendulum on the bottom. "Perception filter. Wear this, and nobody will see you. Don't draw attention to yourself, and you should be fine."

"It makes me invisible?"

"No… it just makes you sort of blend into the background. It should work against the Sontarans."

Lara nodded, briefly. "Okay."

The Doctor and Lara stepped out into what appeared to be a broom closet. The brooms were shorter than any functional broom Lara had ever seen, aside from the one she had used when she was 10. There were several chemicals that she had never seen before, which were written in a different language. However, they were unmistakably in a broom closet.

"Do you try to land in a broom closet, or does it just sort of happen?" Lara whispered.

"Well, I couldn't just land in a corridor. The Sontarans know me, and… wwwwweeeell, we have a bit of a history. I had to ask the TARDIS to hide the signal from them, because I'm sure they're on the watch for me."

"Ask… the TARDIS?"

"My ship. She's sentient. She's also a time machine." The Doctor continued to carefully investigate the broom closet as though he had not spoken a major revelation.

Lara stopped. "Okay… that one's going to take me a minute to digest," she admitted.

The Doctor stopped, meeting her eyes. "So… wait, you're okay with me giving you an injection with no warning, you don't even tell me when you realize we're stealing a car, you're fine with getting onto a spaceship with a man you barely know… but when you find out it's a time machine, you need to take time to digest?"

"I think the Rose Serum numbed me a little bit," Lara admitted. "I'd normally have had about six panic attacks with all of this. But… in reality, my biggest panic attacks happen when something bad happens to my clients, or when they're having a lot of trouble. And… if we don't see this through, I think a lot of bad things are going to happen." Her eyes were terrified, but determined.

The Doctor took her hand, carefully. "Nothing bad will happen. Just… no noise. Follow me. And don't draw attention to yourself."

Lara nodded, and slowly they stepped out of the broom closet.

Lara followed the Doctor through several twists and turns of the long hallway. The first time they passed a Sontaran, she shot the Doctor a look of alarm. He had looked backward, catching her look, and put his fingers to his lips. He then gestured to the short, potato-looking spaceman, and made a sign with two fingers to demonstrate how little the Sontarans were. He grinned. Lara relaxed after the Sontaran had turned a corner. The Doctor was right – the Sontarans didn't seem to see them.

Finally, they reached a large, open room. It seemed to be the lowest of several floors, each of which had a balcony overhanging the large room, like the lobby of a grand hotel. The difference was that the walls were covered with large gears and manufacturing equipment and a gloppy blue liquid was being funneled through several clear tunnels around the wall.

The large room was full of Sontarans, but all were extremely busy and took no notice of them. Some were stirring giant pots of blue liquid, some were talking to each other, and others were simply patrolling the area. The Doctor suddenly ducked behind a large pipe, and gestured for Lara to join him.

"It's as I thought," he whispered into her ear. "There's no way to know what to do to reverse… bloody Sontarans never label their pipes. And even if they did, I still don't know what the blue goop is, which could kill us all… I'll have to wing it. Just keep hidden, okay? Oh, and… take this." From his seemingly endless pocket, he drew a large, black umbrella, and handed it to Lara.

Before she could protest, however, the Doctor had left the safety of the pipe, and walked several paces toward the middle of the room. Suddenly, with a flourish, he took the perception filter from around his neck. Lara gasped, and ducked back behind the pipe.

A silence crept quickly over the room then, like a poisonous gas. It started with the Sontarans closest to the Doctor, and then branched outward. The only noise in the room was the click of weapons which were drawn.

"Doctor!" boomed the voice of one of the potato men suddenly. The man who had addressed the Doctor was certainly the most war-weary of the lot – a scar ran down across his face, and the Doctor recognized that he was the highest-ranking official in the room.

"It's been awhile, General Barx."

"I thought you might turn up," the General said. "But this time, there's nothing you can do to stop us. This time, we shall separate your head from your body, and not even your regenerations will save you!"

"Still on the losing side of your pointless war?" the Doctor asked the General with a grin.

Many of the Sontarans made angry noises. It occurred to Lara that at this moment, the Sontarans weren't likely to notice her even if she took her own perception filter off and danced a jig.

The General was slow to anger, but Lara could see it boiling under the surface. "How dare you? Sontarans will fight to the end! We will have a new supply of soldiers, witless pawns, who will die for our cause but not add to our casualties."

Lara saw it then, in the Doctor's eyes… a look of pure rage, and it was then that she knew, truly, that he was alien. Of all of the armed Sontarans in the room, it was the Doctor that scared her the most. He was both beautiful and terrible, and when he spoke it was calculating and cold.

"That's your plan then, is it? In the past, you tried to kill Earth's citizens, and suffocate everyone so that you could cover the Earth with clone feed. You tried to raise a new army. But I beat you. We beat you. We saved this Earth, Martha, and Donna and I.

"But you still needed an army. Nobody cares about the adolescents in mental hospitals, do they? They have strong, healthy bodies, but are young and stupid. And nobody will miss them."

"The perfect plan was concocted to make a new army," General Barx affirmed, and Lara felt sick. _They have strong, healthy bodies, but are young, and stupid. And nobody will miss them…_

"So you added Dechem X to the water to rid the adolescents of the medication and foreign chemicals in their body. I figured that out already. But you're ridding them of chemicals to make room for… what? What will you be giving them instead?"

The Sontaran General grinned, a terrifying, wide grin like a Jack-O-Lantern. "Have you heard of the chemical MKUltra?"

"No!" The scream that the Doctor gave was so loud that the two closest Sontarans grabbed him by the shoulders and held both of his arms, though he had given no indication that he was about to move.

"Oh yes, Doctor. The Dechem X rids their bodies of the medications and other chemicals that might get in the way. Then the MKUltra will make them do whenever I ask!" The General's grin was still wide, his eyes crazed. "That's the beauty of my plan. I get an army, free, and loyal. And, the soldiers will never think twice about disobeying me. Fight the chemical, and return to their old life, insane, in a mental hospital? Even humans are not that stupid."

The Doctor's eyes blazed, but he looked contemplative. "Your ship is set up for spreading chemicals, specifically the MKUltra, over wide areas." The Doctor looked straight at Lara then. "But the only ones who will be affected are the humans that were primed with the Dechem X." His gaze was so piercing that she shrank back behind the pipe. It was odd… the Doctor seemed to be grinning, again. "My guess is that Sontarans work the same way, don't they? Cover them with both chemicals, and even a Sontaran will turn into a slave… also, guess what? I'm immune to both chemicals."

The Sontarans looked stunned, but determined. Many were yelling threats across the room toward the Doctor, who continued. "So, in theory, all I would have to do would be to cover you lot with both chemicals as well."

"You won't get the chance," General Barx said with a grin, striding closer to the Doctor. All of the Sontarans in the room were closing in on him, now, and more had entered from other doors around the walls to see the spectacle. There must have been over 100 Sontarans surrounding the Doctor, who continued to talk as weapons pointed at his head. There was no way he could ever escape, Lara realized with a feeling of dread.

The Sontaran General spoke again. "I assume you're talking about our failsafes. Those levers over there, for example, can sprinkle the whole room with both chemicals if an enemy invades. We can even pull the levers remotely if this ship gets into the wrong hands. We can sprinkle the whole room with the chemicals, and the enemy, too! So long as even one of us escapes the chemicals, we'll be able to take control again. But this time we have won, Doctor, because you'll never get to the levers…"

 _There's no way to know what to do to reverse… bloody Sontarans never label their pipes… And even if they did, I still don't know what the blue goop is, which could kill us all…_ Lara's mind was racing. The blue goop was the MKUltra, which would allow the Sontarans to control her clients and make them into mindless pawns.

"In fifteen seconds, Doctor, the MKUltra will be released on Earth, and the new armies will add to our numbers. You will die then as well, Doctor, a small celebration. Sontar-ha!" the General yelled triumphantly. The Doctor's eyes bored into Lara.

Lara was thinking quickly. Before they could be controlled with the MKUltra, they had to be primed with the Dechem X. The levers above her head would set off a sprinkler system and spray everyone in the room with both chemicals, including her… _The umbrella_!

After that, several things happened at once. Lara released the clasp on the umbrella, which exploded above her head with a giant _snap!_ She pulled both levers down at the same time. The Sontarans seemed to notice her then, and the General's eyes bored into hers for one brief moment as he raised his weapon. The sprinkler system turned on, showering all the Sontarans in Dechem X and MKUltra.

Suddenly all eyes were focused on Lara, and the room was quiet except for the pounding of the rain of chemicals. The Sontarans lowered their weapons, and Lara realized with a start that they were waiting for her to give instructions.

Lara's voice was shaky as she said the first thing that came into her mind: "S-sit down. And, put your weapons down." As one, the Sontarans dropped to sit on their behinds, short legs stretched out in front of them, weapons by their side.

The only two standing were Lara and the Doctor. The Doctor was drenched in the chemicals, but his eyes were ablaze, and he was smiling. He started toward her, slowly, and she met him halfway, putting the umbrella over his head as well as her own. It was an extra-wide umbrella, and covered both of them.

"Thanks," he told her. He waited a beat, then breathed out a sigh. When he sighed, a large puff of blue air seemed to come out through his mouth. He collected himself, then, and the fire in his eyes danced brighter than Lara had ever seen. "Find a planet where you can live in peace," he said, and as one the Sontarans locked eyes with the Doctor. "Never kill another being again, except in self-defense. And never, ever come back to Earth."

After this, he dropped his gaze from the Sontarans, and smiled at Lara. His eyes were warm, now, and again full of excited curiosity. He grabbed her hand, then, and pulled her, umbrella and all, back down the hallway toward his ship.

***Doctor Who***

After boarding the TARDIS, Lara held out the umbrella to the Doctor. He disappeared into the bowels of the ship with the umbrella, and only when he returned five minutes later did Lara speak. "Why didn't the chemicals affect you?"

The Doctor smiled. "Time Lord Biology. I can regulate my own metabolism and chemical intake and export."

Lara accepted this answer, more because she was exhausted than due to lack of curiosity. "Did I… was that what you wanted me to do?"

"You were brilliant!" the Doctor said, smiling at her, and she thought fleetingly that he was very attractive. She wondered why she'd never noticed before, and decided it was because she'd been too busy being in danger.

This reminded Lara of something else. "I… I've got to call Billy!" she exclaimed. "My fiancé… I'm sure he'll be worried… um, can you take me home?"

A look of disappointment flashed briefly in the Doctor's eyes, but he recovered quickly. "Yup!" he said, popping the 'p.'

When the Doctor opened the TARDIS door to reveal the sunny campus of Pennies', Lara stopped short. She regarded the Doctor with heavy eyes. "Thank you, for… for everything. Will… will my boys be back to normal?"

The Doctor seemed to have shut down. He seemed to have built walls around himself, and Lara wondered if this was his way of saying good-bye. "They should be. Even your most severe boys will be back to normal in a couple of days. Their medication should work normally now." His voice was icy.

"Will… will I ever get to travel with you again?" Lara tried.

The Doctor stopped, and looked up from under hooded lids. "You… you want to?" His icy tone was gone, replaced by a sliver of hope.

"Yeah… well, I mean, when I said, about needing to get back, I just… I'd feel bad if I didn't, you know, check on… but I didn't mean…" she floundered for words. She realized that she had to be careful about what she said at this juncture. It struck her that for an alien who seemed to make a habit of saving the world, he had moments where he appeared particularly fragile and alone.

He seemed to understand, however, and grinned. "I can pick you up tomorrow morning at 9," he said. "Same spot?"

"I've got work tomorrow," Lara said, and rolled her eyes. She knew what he would say, however, even before he said it.

"Time machine," the Doctor said, grinning.

"Yeah, okay," Lara agreed, and then added, "Promise?"

"Promise," said the Doctor.


	5. Chapter 4: Back to the Past

Author's Note: I didn't make my update on the first of the month this time, but the second is fairly close. I've been at GENCON all weekend, the Midwest gaming convention, which was epically awesome-sauce.

Comments about this chapter…

*It's short, but I hope the reader likes it anyway. Longer chapter next month.

*If you have ideas for a plot bunny, let me know in the reviews. I've got Lara's long-term plot arc mapped out and don't plan to deviate, but I'm open for ideas about little adventures along the way.

*The story of my grandfather and my mother is real, all names are changed. I owe my mother everything.

*Firefly trucking is owned by my BFF.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Doctor Who universe, because if I did, David Tennant would be mine, but only on days that end with a "Y."

Chapter Four: Back to the Past

At 9:47 the next morning, the Doctor still had not arrived. He knew ultimately that he _would_ arrive, and he also guessed that Lara would be there waiting, however there was something about his new companion that put him on edge. Perhaps it was her similarities to Rose – her bravery, her intelligence, and her compassion. He both hated and loved this about her, but more than anything he missed Rose.

Perhaps it was also the mystery that surrounded his new companion. He had felt it from the first moment she had stepped into the room, but was still unable to put his finger on exactly what he was so worried about. She wasn't evil in any way; he could sense that, and the TARDIS could sense it as well. But she was more than most humans, of that he was sure. He could feel the time lines conversing around her, entwining them together.

At some point he would put her under a scanner, or get her to the med bay… but he already knew that this would turn up no results as well. Nothing about her was anything but human, aside from the time lines that looped suspiciously around her essence.

When the Doctor finally stepped out of the TARDIS, his companion was not waiting patiently as he had hoped. It was a full two minutes before she came striding into view, looking very cross.

"I thought we were going adventuring?" the Doctor asked her.

"I wasn't sure when to expect you, and I had a busy day," she said briskly. "I left the cameras on to see when you showed up." Sure enough, the Doctor looked up and noticed a black circular camera just above the TARDIS.

The Doctor sighed. "Getting harder and harder to just appear places every day," he said brightly, opening the door and gesturing her into the TARDIS. "Mind you, it's nothing like the 28th century. Cameras in the pavement, cameras in the streetlights, cameras shoved up-…"

"Doctor," Lara said firmly, claiming his attention. "About time travel… like, we can go back to this exact spot, right? Because… and don't get me wrong… you're a little late this morning for someone who claims to be a… time… thing…"

"I represent that!" he said in mock offense. "I am here at exactly the time I meant to be here." At her raised eyebrow, he added, "but, when taking you home, I will mean to be here at exactly whatever time we leave."

"And… should I take my cell phone… like, if Billy calls me in a couple of hours, will that make a difference in the timelines?"

"Yes!" The Doctor said. "Good question! See, you're learning already. If you get a call from someone at a certain time, it'll set that time permanently in your timestream. Your best bet is to leave your phone at home."

"Can I just turn it off?"

"Only if you don't turn it back on until you're out of the TARDIS after we get home."

Lara nodded, finally, switched her phone off, and shut the door to the TARDIS.

***Doctor Who***

"So, where do you want to go?" the Doctor asked Lara. He had just given her a brief lecture on the inner workings of the TARDIS, and she currently seemed to be fighting off boredom. He hoped briefly that the subjects that bored her would be limited to TARDIS manufacturing – otherwise, this would be a short trip. Of course, he reasoned, very few of his companions had in fact been fascinated by the specificities of time defibrillators.

"I want to meet my grandfather," she said.

"You've… never met him?" _Fantastic_ , a voice that sounded very much like his 9th self said inside his head, _you've found another stupid ape._

"He died when my mother was 13. I never knew him. But she was very close to him. She's always spoken highly of him."

"We can't change his death." He looked at her coldly, and she stared right back.

"Look, if it's too much trouble, then you choose somewhere to go." She was pouting. "But I didn't want to change his death. I'm not stupid. I can't do anything to re-write history. I know _that_ much about time travel."

He gave her a calculating look, then nodded.

"What year? And where?"

"Well, I'm guessing it wouldn't be a good idea for my grandmother to see me then, since she knows what I look like now. So, I can't go anywhere around her. If I got to my mother when she was young enough, though… would that be okay? It won't bend the laws of time?"

"As long as you don't change anything, you should be right as rain! So many mistakes have been made by people trying to change time. Case in point, the universe was almost blown to smithereens in 3028 when Sir Charles the 85th…"

"Can we go to July 28th, 1957? To Tellwood, Wisconsin." She was looking at him with wide eyes.

The Doctor could feel it again… the excitement of a new travel, a new adventure… he grinned. "We'll have to get you dressed and styled for 1957. The TARDIS will take care of that."

Lara seemed to take his grin as a sign of agreement. "My Mom says that my grandfather used to take her with him to a little cabin that one of his friends owned on the side of a river. The two of them would go fishing with all of his friends sometimes on the weekends. She had a younger brother and an older sister, but she was always closest to my grandfather. I was thinking we could, like, stage an interview with him. Like, we could pretend to be journalists, investigating the landscape and doing a profile or something."

The Doctor was already throwing buttons on the TARDIS. "I'll get us ready," he said, smiling, "and you go and do woman stuff. Get one of those short, curly hair-do's."

***Doctor Who***

When Lara stepped out of the TARDIS an hour later, she looked completely different, and felt completely uncomfortable. Her hair was curled tightly, and the effort to do so had left her head hurting and the ends of her hair slightly singed. She wore a green dress with a tapered waist and a black belt. She was happy with her new look, however, and thought she looked as though she'd walked out of a 1950's magazine.

The Doctor (who looked the same as always) parked the TARDIS in a clump of trees before leading Lara through the woods for almost 15 minutes.

The difference between 1957 and 2015 was obvious, Lara thought. The trees seemed more lush and full, the water in the river nearby was cleaner, and there was no sound of traffic, despite the country road nearby.

Finally, there was a break in the trees and Lara could see a calm river. Three men and a small girl stood fishing by the side of the river. Lara barely recognized the girl as her mother – her hair was darker and much curlier, and she was smiling behind a pair of 50's-style glasses. The man next to her was far more easily recognized as her grand-father; he looked exactly like he had in the pictures. He was tall, dark, and handsome, and smiled down at the young girl as he put a worm on his hook. The two other men stood nearby, one sitting and one standing.

Lara stopped with trepidation as the small gang noticed their arrival, but the Doctor surged forward. "Perfect! Joe said you might be down here!" He gave Lara a prodding look and approached the gang as quietly as he could while still appearing enthusiastic. Despite his quiet approach, the standing man blanched, as though the Doctor's mere presence would scare away the fish.

"We're from the Teller," Lara said, vaguely remembering the name of Tellwood's local paper. "We're doing a piece on some of the local landscapes and best places to fish."

The sitting man seemed vaguely suspicious, though friendly. "I haven't seen you around before, are you new?"

The Doctor nodded and pulled out the psychic paper as Lara added, "Yes, we're both fairly new. I'm Lara Nelson and this is… John Smith." Lara remembered that the Doctor had called himself John Smith during their first meeting.

"Doctor John Smith," the sitting man said, glancing at the psychic paper and passing it back, "my name is Jack Spangler, and this is Tom Kirkland." The man called Tom barely glanced away from his fishing, but waved hello.

"I'm Rick Nelson," Lara's grandfather said, "and this is my daughter, Kasey." Lara's mother smiled shyly. "Sorry, can I see that piece of paper again?" Although his friends seemed convinced with their story, Rick still appeared mildly suspicious. He took the psychic paper and looked at it carefully before returning it to the Doctor. He still looked strangely suspicious, though not unfriendly. "My apologies, Sir, must've been a trick of the light. It certainly does feel like we've met before… but I suppose not."

Lara felt stunned at her grandfathers' words, and it took her a minute to recover. Just as Lara felt ready to speak again, a loud SQUAK pierced the air, and Lara jumped about a foot. It was a full minute before she tuned back in to the conversation.

"… love to do an interview. Sounds like a great way to pass the time while we wait for the fish to bite," Jack was saying.

"Excellent!" said the Doctor, and he pulled a fishing pole seemingly out of nowhere. "You don't mind?"

"Surely not," said Lara's grandfather, looking excited.

"What can you catch around here?" the Doctor asked, taking a seat between Rick and Jack.

"Bass and bluegills mostly," Rick answered, and the two were off discussing fish. Meanwhile, Lara moved to sit by the shy 5-year-old that would someday become her mother. "Kasey, right?" Lara asked.

"Yeah, but it's a horrible name." Then, seeming surprised at this declaration, Kasey changed the subject. "Lara is the name of my great-aunt. She's funny sometimes. She likes to watch wrestling, and sometimes she cheers the wrestlers on so much that she falls off her chair!"

Lara laughed. She'd heard this story many times from her mother, but never from this version. "What a coincidence! I was named after my great-aunt Lara as well."

As Kasey smiled, she felt Rick's eyes on her. She looked his direction just in time to see his slightly raised eyebrow. Suddenly, however, a loud SQUAK was heard from overhead, and the group all looked up at once.

"Never heard that before," Jack said conversationally.

"How often do you come out here fishing?" Lara asked her grandfather.

"As often as we can," he said kindly. "My wife has her hands full with my other daughter and my son, so I like to take Kasey and go fishing when I can get away."

"You always take Kasey?" It wasn't a question that fit into the interview, but it flew out of Lara's mouth before she had thought about it.

Rick raised his eyebrows, but lowered them quickly. "Patricia's not as interested in fishing," he said, "and Bernard is still a bit too young. Kasey here has really gotten the hang of it, though. Last time I taught her how to bait her own hook!" He smiled with pride.

"It must be a good break from your day-to-day life," Lara continued, attempting to steer back to interview questions that would not seem out of place.

"I'm a semi driver for Firefly Trucking," he said.

"That takes you away from home a lot?"

"A good bit, but I try to be back by dinner time for Betty and the kids." Another loud SQUAK was heard, and it seemed nearer this time.

"You do seem very familiar… Nelson is a fairly common last name, but I don't know of any relatives named Lara other than my wife's aunt." Lara cursed herself inwardly. _Why hadn't she introduced herself differently?_ She'd taken her mothers' last name after her father had proved to be (in her opinion) a waste of space, and she'd only just now realized that this meant she now had the same last name as her grand-father as well. Her grand-mother had remarried and taken a new last name... _How could I have been so stupid?_

Another loud SQUAK shook Lara out of her memories. "Ruddy crows this time of year!" exclaimed Tom from down the riverbank, "no wonder the fish aren't biting!"

"Where are you from?" Rick continued, returning to the conversation.

"Milwaukee," Lara answered without thinking.

Rick frowned. "Hmm. What's your grandmothers' name?"

"Be- uh, Barbara," she said, turning red. She could tell by Rick's face that he knew she was not being entirely honest with him. Kasey was looking questioningly at her father.

Searching for an escape, Lara looked at the Doctor. His eyes were locked on a large, black shape in the distance, and they widened as the creature drew closer. Suddenly, the Doctor abandoned all pretense of quiet and screamed, "RUN!"


	6. Chapter 5: Intuition

Author's Note: I'm ridiculously late updating this time. Blame the beginning of the school semester, supervision duties, and my obsession with the TV show Once Upon A Time.

Comments:

*If you have ideas for a plot bunny, let me know in the reviews. I've got Lara's long-term plot arc mapped out and don't plan to deviate, but I'm open for ideas about little adventures along the way.

*The story of my grandfather and my mother is real, all names are changed. I owe my mother everything.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Doctor Who universe, because if I did, David Tennant would be mine, but only on days that end with a "Y."

Chapter Five: Intuition

As one, the three men looked at the creature, but it was too late. Lara could see the creature now, as it was quickly gaining speed on the group. It was large, with wings, and red eyes. It seemed to have a mouth in the middle of its stomach, filled with menacing teeth. This was no bird, nor was it any animal on Earth.

Tom and Jack scooped up their fishing poles, and Rick hoisted Kasey around his shoulders and took off running. The Doctor grabbed Lara by the arm, and together the six ran to the nearby cabin. The creature was not far behind, and Lara saw Kasey bury her eyes in Rick's shoulder as Tom was engulfed by it. Suddenly, a second creature came from out of nowhere, and then Jack was gone, too.

The Doctor and Lara barely made it into the cabin just behind Kasey and Rick, and shut the door tightly. A loud THUD reverberated around the walls as one of the creatures hit the other side of the wall.

"No windows?" the Doctor asked Rick.

"No. We're safe, if it can't get through that door. What's wrong with her?" he was panicking, and with horror, Lara realized why. Kasey hung limply from his grip, and he laid her down carefully in the middle of the floor.

"Fainted," the Doctor said, checking Kasey to be sure. "She'll wake up in time. She's fairly young, isn't she?"

"Only five," Rick confirmed, relaxing slightly "It was too much for her to see. What are those things?" He kissed Kasey once, then headed to a large chest in the corner and began searching through it hurriedly. The reapers continued to beat on the wooden walls, but to no avail.

"Reapers," the Doctor said bitterly, looking at Lara. The fire was back in his eyes, but this time it was more than anger, Lara thought. This time, it was fear. "Time's been damaged, and they've come to sterilize the wound. They're like the white blood cells of time. Dealt with them before, and it never does get more fun-…"

"But how can we have done damage?" Lara asked the Doctor, desperately. "We can't have changed anything in this short of a time?"

"There's been a theory," the Doctor said, "reincarnation. Like, if two incarnations of the same person were in the same place… but they would have come much earlier if that was the case. It must be something we said or did..."

"It was my fault, then." Rick had come up behind them with a giant axe. He brought the axe down with a large SWOOSH onto the leg of the nearest chair, breaking off a sharp spike.  
"Won't do any good," the Doctor said, nodding at the spike.

"Not going down without a fight." Rick narrowed his eyes at Lara. "But I will die eventually… won't I?"

Lara was stunned, and for a second the world seemed to tilt on its axis. The Doctor, however, appeared defeated.

"Lara, I see where you get your intuition from."

"What?" Lara was genuinely surprised.

"He wasn't fooled by the psychic paper, just like you weren't," the Doctor told Lara. "He knew we were time travelers. He knew you were related."

"If you're here," Rick said, "meeting me for the first time, it must mean that I die."

The Doctor leveled Rick with a glare. "You figured that out, and you made some sort of decision. That decision changed history, somehow. That's why the reapers are here."

"I was going to get a different job. I die on the road, don't I? That's it, isn't it? Maybe I should just avoid driving altogether, if we ever get out of this."

"It's not that simple," the Doctor told Rick, and his eyes were flashing dangerously again. "There's nothing in this universe that can kill those things."

Rick glared at the Doctor for a long moment, then appeared to deflate. "If I live my life just as I would have done… they'll go away." It wasn't a question, but a statement. The Doctor nodded, solemnly.

"I'll never meet my granddaughter," Rick said, looking at Lara. "Because that's who you are, isn't it?"

Lara could feel the tears in her eyes, but it was too late to hold them back. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry. My mother is so strong. I only wanted to meet the man that encouraged her to be that way. She loved you so much!"

Before the Doctor could stop him, Rick came to Lara's side and hugged her. "You look so much like her," he said. Then he whispered, "Is she happy?"

"Yes," Lara said, her tears falling onto her grandfathers' jacket.

"You shouldn't have hugged," the Doctor was calling from somewhere around Lara, and then a reaper stood next to them, tall and menacing.

Rick broke from Lara, then, and stepped in front of the reaper. He held up the chair leg, and his eyes blazed with a threat. "Don't you touch her. I'll live like I would've lived if I hadn't known. I'll do everything I would've done, and I'll keep driving, and I'll keep loving. Just leave her alone."

Lara closed her eyes as the reaper drew closer… and then, silence.

Lara peaked out between her fingertips and realized that the reaper was gone. Before she could react, however, there was banging on the door of the cabin, and Jack's voice was heard yelling, "What're ya' doin' in there? Fish are out here!"

***Doctor Who***

Lara was still trying not to cry as she bid her grandfather good-bye and stepped into the TARDIS. "Can't tell me how I die, I suppose?"

"Of course not," the Doctor said. "Let's not bring the reapers back."

Rick shrugged somberly. "Nobody ever said life was fair. But it's peaceful? I don't get tortured or die slowly and painfully?"

"It's peaceful," Lara assured him, letting the tears flow freely now. "And Kasey has several more years yet. You teach her everything she taught me. You taught her to be strong, and kind, and… and intuitive."

Rick smiled. "Well, if you're going to do something, to it right." He brushed Kasey's face with his hand, and she responded groggily as her eyes fluttered open.

"Guess that's our cue to go," the Doctor said. Rick's face was the last face Lara saw before the doors to the TARDIS closed, and the TARDIS disappeared with a WHOOSH.

Somewhere in the distance, the last reaper disappeared.


	7. Chapter 6: Quitessa

Authors' Note: Thanks to my fiancé for the basic story outline and a few of the names.

***"Lumos" is from Harry Potter.

***The stories regarding Lara's sense of self-preservation is based on 100% true events. I'm kind of a dare-devil.

***I hate vaccines and think we should have the right to choose not to vaccinate.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Doctor Who universe, because if I did, David Tennant would be mine, but only on days that end with a "Y."

Chapter Six: Quitessa

LARA POV

After the adventure with her grandfather, Lara couldn't deny that she was overwhelmed. Still, she knew herself well enough by now to know that after a short break, she would be up for anything. It was what Billy called her "lack of self-preservation."

Billy, Lara's fiancé, was a different matter altogether. Lara considered herself a fairly trustworthy person, and she realized it was time to tell Billy about her adventures with The Doctor. Therefore, she begged the Doctor to land the TARDIS in her apartment, where Billy would have just returned home from work.

Billy's reaction to the TARDIS in their living room was almost exactly what Lara had expected. First there was shock, mixed with fury at the sight of Lara walking out of what appeared to be a confined box with another man. During a tour around the TARDIS, Billy's reaction returned to pure shock once again. As Lara and the Doctor began to relay their adventures to Billy, however, the rage returned.

Lara had expected the rage, and the lectures. She'd gotten them from her mother for most of her life, and then from Billy later on: "What do you mean you continued driving in that snowstorm after you lost one of your windshield wipers?"… "If you so much as go browsing around at that motorcycle shop, just see if I let you in the house tonight!"… "I don't care how angry you are and how much you think you need to get away, you can't take a walk barefoot on the 4th of July!"

Now, it was more of the same: "How could you just go off with someone you barely met? You could have been killed! He could've been an ax murderer or a rapist!"

Lara was glad that she had told the Doctor to wait almost a week before returning, because it took the entirety of that week to convince Billy that traveling with the Doctor was a good idea. She may have downplayed the obvious dangers of traveling with the Doctor, and overplayed the safety she felt on these adventures. Billy was only partially convinced, and slept on the living room sofa for a night out of protest. Lara then threatened to go with the Doctor regardless of Billy's wishes, resulting in yet another night on the sofa.

It took two things to finally convince Billy to make even one trip with the Doctor: first, Lara promised that the Doctor could attempt to cure Billy's frequent migraine headaches. Second, Lara promised that she could convince the Doctor to take them to go see a giant machine race. Billy was a huge fan of Transformers and all things related, and Lara felt that this suggestion had been a stroke of genius on her part. She therefore very much hoped that 1) there was a giant machine race somewhere in the universe, 2) this race was not hostile, and 3) the Doctor agreed to allow her and Billy to meet them.

Fortunately, the Doctor seemed to be in a good mood when he arrived the following Saturday. "A non-hostile machine race, you say? We'll go to Quitessa. There was some fighting between the Quitessians – that's the organic race, they're a bit like humans – and the machine race for awhile, but by the time we're arriving all of that should be over with. Now, if we'd arrived in 420 A.D.-…"

"And the headaches?" Lara interrupted hopefully.

The Doctor smiled. "Oh, that's easy. No offense, but medications for chronic pain in the 21st century, as you would say, suck. It's the 25th century before they start making medications that kill your pain and still allow you to stay functioning. These are called 'Lumos'." The Doctor threw Billy a bottle of clear yellow capsules. "Do you have a headache today?"

"No," Billy said, looking at the pills warily.

"Don't take them today, then. When you do need to take them, though, give me a call, please. You should be fine, but studies have shown that about one six hundredth of a percent of the population start to grow plants in their ear canals after using Lumos." He considered for a second. "Granted, that was about the time that humans started springing up with mutations before they found out it was from the flu vaccines, but make sure I'm around when you take it anyway."

Billy narrowed his eyes at Lara, who shrugged and ignored him.

***Doctor Who***

DOCTOR POV

The Doctor knew that something was wrong as soon as he stepped onto Quitessa. (It figured, he supposed. After years of pressing "random" and ending up in the middle of chaos, his ship didn't seem to want him to have a calm, serene trip even when he tried.) The sky should've been a clear blue, like Earth – instead, a gigantic storm appeared to rage overhead in the atmosphere. The sky was full of black, orange, yellow, and red, mixed with lightning that never touched the ground. It was also unusually cold, and even the Doctor felt a chill as the group shut the door to the TARDIS behind them.

"I'm going back in for a jacket," Billy said, shivering in the cold air. The Doctor nodded and made to re-open the TARDIS - but it remained shut.

With a sense of dread, he turned to Billy. "She's charging," he said. "I'm sorry… that's why I landed her where I did. She needed to charge. I didn't realize she wouldn't even wait until - … I'm sorry, she's already gone offline." Billy was glaring at him, shivering again. "But… look, I think I have some blankets in here." The Doctor reached into his bigger-on-the-inside pockets and pulled out two blankets. "Yes, see? Here." The Doctor handed blankets to both Billy and Lara. Lara's blanket was covered in roses, and Billy's blanket was black with navy blue fringe.

Slowly, Billy and Lara stopped shivering, and their minds turned to the next topic. "I thought you said this was supposed to be a lush trade center?"

"It was. It should be," the Doctor said. "Something is wrong."

Billy was scowling, but Lara's eyes were shining again and she seemed eager for a mystery.

"Any idea what?"

The Doctor nodded. "A long time ago, the people here – the Quitessians - created robots to do meaningless tasks that nobody else wanted to do. Then the robots became self-aware, and there was a little bit of fighting and misunderstanding between the two races before everything calmed down… or, at least, that was how it should have happened. Someone has tampered with the timeline, at some point." He scowled, eyes blazing.

"The machines here can recharge using one of two methods: geothermal power or solar power. The geothermal power here is filled with rift energy, which is what charges the TARDIS. But the solar power… obviously someone has found a way to blot out the sun."

"You mean the dark storm in the atmosphere," Lara commented. "It wasn't always there?"

"It shouldn't be there now. It's toxic. You should be fine, though, as very few people are actually allergic to it. Actually, it's more dangerous for me than you… but my body should be able to fight the poison for another few hours, more than long enough for the TARDIS to recharge."

"What do we do now?" Billy asked the Doctor darkly.

"Couldn't hurt to have a look around. The TARDIS should only take about an hour to charge. At least keep moving. It'll heat you up." Billy looked like he wanted to do nothing of the sort, but reluctantly followed the Doctor and Lara as they began to walk.

***Doctor Who***

After about thirty minutes, the group found what appeared to be the ruins of a magnificent city. Surely this city had once been fantastic – the remains of the structures seemed much larger than human houses, and the ground was scattered with all sorts of objects and decaying structures. What may have been a large statue of a machine was now reduced to two odd-looking stone legs, which stood next to the left half of a statue of a human-like creature. What was clearly some form of toilet sat hap-hazardly near the remains of what looked like parts of an underground plumbing system.

In what appeared to be a place of prominence in the city sat the ruins of a building that had clearly taken more damage than any of the surrounding structures. While many of the structures in this ruined city still had partial walls, and a few even had ceilings, this building had clearly been burned to the ground. The only implication that this building had once been grand was its' size, which was obvious by the partially decayed floor. The building also had a rancid smell, even moreso than the rest of the city.

"This used to be a geothermal power plant," the Doctor spat venomously into the air. "Someone wanted to destroy the machines."

"Maybe that war between the Quitessians and the machines never stopped like you thought it did," Billy said solemnly.

"Clearly," the Doctor said in a hushed voice. "This should be a booming trade town, the center of cooperation between the machines and the Quitessians. But now it's just.." The Doctor knew his face was contorted with rage. "It's just dust." Billy seemed scared by this change in the Doctor's features, but Lara just looked… tired.

"We should get back to the TARDIS," the Doctor said, suddenly worried. "I need to find out what's going on, but perhaps it's something I should do alone. You both would be safer inside the TARDIS, and it should be charged by now."

Lara slowly nodded, then began to cough. "Are you okay?" Billy asked her gently.

"I'm fine," Lara said quickly. "It's just… my nose is stuffed up, that's all. This place looks horrible."

"It makes me want to cry, too," Billy said, putting his arm around her waist. "We never should have come here." The Doctor caught Lara's eye for a split second, and in that second he knew that her cough was most definitely not related to her crying.

***Doctor Who***

LARA POV

The three made the slow trek back to the TARDIS dejectedly. They were silent, though Lara shivered occasionally and continued to cough.

Closer to the TARDIS, the three could see the silhouette of a figure leaning against the old police box. She looked human at first inspection, but on closer inspection Lara noticed that her skin glowed in a very unearthly color. Further, her proportions made her far too unstable for a human person; she reminded Lara of a Barbie doll. She wore a red dress, but the dress was too short to be classy – rather, Lara thought it made the woman look like a prostitute.

The woman walked slowly up to the Doctor, careful with her red high heels. As if in slow motion, she put her arms around him and said in a sultry voice, "Hey baby."

The Doctor ducked carefully out of her arms without acknowledging her movements. "I'm the Doctor. And your name is?"

The glowing woman continued her attempted seduction of the Doctor as Billy and Lara watched. "My name is whatever you want it to be," she cooed. Even Lara had stopped shivering and was staring at the woman with a quirk of a smile.

The Doctor sidestepped the woman once again, brandishing his sonic screwdriver and scanning her. "Ah, that explains it. Sexbot, 5th generation."

"Guess you caught me, you bad boy. I'm Sexbot 5521. I've heard all about you. You're the Doctor. A Time Lord. I've heard all the stories, and just meeting you in person makes me want to…" At this the Sexbot whispered something in the Doctors' ear, and he side-stepped her again with a blush, glancing guiltily at Lara.

"Your usual services won't be necessary… but I do need an antidote for the toxin in the air, if you can offer that instead." Billy glanced worriedly at Lara.

"Of course!" said the Sexbot. "Do you need me to inject it in a _special_ way?"

The Doctor made brief eye contact with Lara again, and then looked downward. "It's not for me. It's for my friend, Lara."

"What?!" Billy asked in alarm.

"I'm sorry," Lara said to Billy. "I don't know why…"

"I thought you said the toxin wouldn't poison us?" Billy asked, glaring daggers at the Doctor.

"Well, it shouldn't!" the Doctor said indignantly. "It should only affect Time Lords. Kills us instantly if we don't catch it in time, as a matter of fact. But I've built up an immunity-…"

"Doctor!" Billy and Lara said together.

"Right. Sexbot, I need the antidote for the toxin. Do you know where I can get some?"

"Sure baby, no problem! I've got a price, though, and it's not money, honey."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "And that would be?"

The Sexbot narrowed her eyes. "There are plenty of anti-venoms back at the camp, that's easy enough, sweetie. But the camp is hidden, and only my sexy robot butt knows how to get in." Her voice changed, now, and became quicker, softer, and far more dangerous. "Now, about three miles away is a camp absolutely teeming with those detestable Quitessian low-lifes. We'd wipe them out ourselves, but they keep themselves shut inside a gigantic vault, and none of us can get inside. But you! I've heard the stories about you, and they certainly wouldn't deny entrance to a God."

A change came over the Doctor, then, and he seemed to tower over the Sexbot. He had clenched his fists, and his eyes had flashed and become dangerous. Unfortunately, the Sexbot did not seem to notice. "They'll know of your battles, and they'll ask you to join with them! Get us into the camp, and we'll give you enough anti-dote to send you vacationing in the city to fufill all of your deepest naughty desires!"

There was dead silence, and Lara took a step back from the Doctor in genuine fear and awe. Billy put his hand in front of Lara, as though to shield her from the glare of the Doctor. When he spoke, however, the Doctor's voice was slow and controlled. "Over my dead Gallifreyan body," he said. "God!" He spat out the word. "How dare you call me a God for destroying an entire race, two entire races! How dare you imply that these are skills which I will sell to the highest bidder!"

The Doctor walked up to Sexbot quickly, and she shrank back in alarm. The Doctor's voice lowered dangerously. "You don't have any way to attack me, and you're far too slow to run away. You figured out I've neutralized your stun gun with my sonic screwdriver, or you'd have used it already. You have no bargaining chips.

"Not only that, but I'm betting that robots on this planet still keep their own supply of anti-dotes near their charging chip, don't they?" The Doctor stuck his hand out roughly and poked a finger between the Sexbot's breasts. She screamed, ("How dare you violate me!") but a small panel of skin seemed to pop off, and the Doctor pointed inside the Sexbot accusatorily. His voice bit into the air, and the Sexbot seemed terrified.

"You call me a God. Perhaps I am a God of destruction. You should know, though, that I never destroy unless I'm backed into a corner. I didn't on Gallifrey, and I won't today."

The Doctor then picked up the Sexbot's breast panel from the sand, and seemed to collect his thoughts. He unclenched his fists, and when he spoke again, he was calmer. "I can pay in anything you want, except weapons or destruction. You will take me back to your camp, and introduce me to your commanders. You will ask them to provide me with an anti-dote for my friend."

The Sexbot, though thoroughly shaken, still attempted to appear self-righteous. "And if I don't?"

Lara knew what was coming next. Sure enough, the Doctor said, in his dangerous voice, "Then I will be taking yours, and you can die here of the toxin."

The Sexbot seemed to pout, but she straightened her back and held out her hand for the breast panel. "You only. No humans. I have not bothered them because they are not Quitessians and they are with you. But I do not trust them."

"No!" said Billy loudly, and Lara gave a cough, but the Doctor said, "Sounds fair." He opened the door to the TARDIS. "Billy, take her inside. She can't stay out in this air any longer. She's already had too much of the toxin. I'm not sure why it's affecting her like this, but you must look after her. She won't be conscious much longer. The TARDIS will tell you what to do and how to take care of her. I'll be back before you know it."

Billy began to yell at the Doctor in earnest, but Lara began to cough. She felt suddenly as though the sand were swallowing her into the ground. Suddenly, everything went black.


	8. Chapter 7: The Murderbot and the Watch

Authors' Note: Thanks again to my fiancé for the basic story outline and a few of the names.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Doctor Who universe, because if I did, David Tennant would be mine, but only on days that end with a "Y." I do own Lara and Billy, and my fiancé owns Wreckage.

Chapter Seven: The Murderbot and the Watch

BILLY POV

Billy had doubts about the TARDIS' ability to "help" take care of Lara, but in this, at least, he was pleasantly surprised. When he opened the door to the TARDIS, it had left him a syringe full of bluish liquid, on top of what looked like a stretcher. A light from the TARDIS shone on the syringe.

"OK, ship, so I guess you really are… alive, or whatever… but how am I supposed to get her on the stretcher? Is this syringe thing safe?" At that, the TARDIS began making a loud whining and clanging sound, and brightened the lights on the syringe.

Billy screamed, out of desperation, and picked up the syringe. Immediately, the clanging sound stopped, and the TARDIS light shone instead on a small portion of Lara's upper arm. "Okay, I get it," Billy grumbled, and without pre-amble plunged the syringe into Lara's upper arm.

Nothing happened for a second, and Billy panicked. Slowly, however, Lara opened one eye, then the other, and yawned sleepily. "What happened? What's going on?" The TARDIS light shined on the stretcher, then on Lara, then back again.

"Here, can you stand?" Billy asked.

Lara nodded weakly, and Billy helped her onto the stretcher. Lara was clearly only halfway conscious, and was having trouble staying awake. The TARDIS shone light onto Lara's hand, and then onto the console. "I don't know how to fly this thing," Billy growled angrily, "and she can't fly anything in her state. We can't go anywhere!" The TARDIS gave off two loud clangs, and then shone a light on Lara's hand and then on the console again.

"She wants to talk to me," Lara said sleepily.

"What?"

"The Doctor does it all the time," Lara whispered. "He talks to her. He understands what she says, but I've never… I mean, I don't know if I can… but I think that's what she wants."

Billy frowned, but wheeled the stretcher over to the console and helped Lara place her hand on it. Suddenly Lara's eyes flew open, and she appeared wide awake. Lara looked at Billy, but it appeared as though she could see right through him. A small amount of color returned to her face, and she began to speak. "What are you trying to tell me, girl?"

Lara looked at Billy then. "She says… well, I mean it's all in pictures, but… she says we only have about 30 seconds before I… oh, wow, did I black out? Sorry about that. She says not to worry, she'll lead you to the medical room. She'll show you how to hook me up to… something. Or at least I think that's what she's doing, in my head. She's showing me… um, she says I'll be sleeping for about 12 hours. And then what?" Lara paused, then added, "She won't tell me. You ask her."

Billy put his hand on the TARDIS, too, and braced himself for a shock… but nothing came. "She says you can't hear her," Lara said. "Or, at least, I think that's what she… but she won't tell me why. Look, I only have a few more seconds left. She has faith in the Doctor. And I have faith in both of you, okay?"

"Lara, don't-…" but she slumped back onto the stretcher, as lifeless as before.

***Doctor Who***

BILLY POV

Billy was furious.

The Doctor and the TARDIS had been right about Lara, at least. He had followed the TARDIS' lights and sounds to the medical bay, and hooked Lara up to all of the machines that the TARDIS shed light upon. She was sleeping soundly, now. The color had returned mostly to her face, and she was smiling somewhat in her sleep, breathing softly. In fact, the only thing that differentiated her from normal sleep was that she would not wake.

The Doctor had not returned. Finally, after an hour, Billy decided to leave the TARDIS in search of his own answers. He had thought – hoped, even – that the TARDIS would make some sort of sound or noise admonishing him from leaving, but she remained silent. Why would she speak to Lara and the Doctor, but not him? He never should have trusted this new friend of Lara's. He had known this was a bad idea.

Two hours after the Doctor's departure, and Billy was strongly considering returning to the TARDIS. The planet was a wasteland – covered in sand, dust, and broken concrete, always with the looming black sky overhead. It all looked the same. Still, he almost missed the robot mostly buried under the sand, except that he tripped over it.

On his stomach, Billy came face to face with one large, bright red eye. Suddenly, a voice began to speak in a monotone voice that reminded Billy creepily of the Terminator. "You are not Quitessian organic, and you are not Robot-kind. What are you, foul being?"

"I'm human. What the hell are you?"

"Murderbot 2000, at your service. Human, I would ask that if you are here to kill me, you make my death swift and with honor. If you are here to help me, please unbury my torso and legs, which are under the ground about five feet away from you, and reattach them."

Billy stared. God, it was like a bad spin-off of the Terminator. "You don't look like a Murderbot. You look like a piece of wreckage."

The Murderbot stared at him, and seemed to think this over. "Wreckage. I like that. Call me Wreckage. I have failed in my purpose, and must choose a new name."

 _Lovely_ , Billy thought, _A Terminator samurai._ "How do I know that if I reattach your… uh… _torso_ , you won't kill me?"

"My purpose is not to kill you, Human. My purpose is to kill organics only."

"Organics?"

"Quitessan organics. From this planet. Though, now that my purpose has been redefined, I suppose I could kill you if I wanted. However, that would be very rude to someone who helped me. How about this: I will not kill you if you will not kill me."

Billy stared at the robot head in wonder. It had a triangular head with red eyes, but was very dusty and dirty.

"I'll help… um, reattach your torso, if you can provide me an anti-dote to the toxin in the air."

"This is no problem. You have a deal, Human. When you find my torso, my weapons and rocket launcher should be nearby. Take them and bury them, if you feel the need."

As it turned out, Wreckage was harder to put back together than Billy had initially anticipated. Billy was fairly good with his hands normally, but not without tools, and sand didn't make for the best working conditions. It took a good 3 hours before Wreckage could walk properly again. Fortunately, however, it was worth it, as Wreckage was a wealth of information.

"Robot-kind and the organics lived together in peace once," he said as Billy tightened a screw on his leg, "but it did not last, because organics are stupid."

"How do you think?"

"They think we are killing them, but we are not."

"Aren't you a Murder-bot?"

"Murder-bots were not made until recently. Killing was not a part of life, until then. Quitessian organics came to kill us, and Murder-bots were made to fight them for the sake of robot-kind."

"Why did they come to kill you?"

"They think we were killing them. But it was never us. Not until recently… There, now plug the square screw into the arm socket, over there."

"Why did they think it was you?"

"The ones that killed them, the organics say they are robots. But they are not like us. We serve a purpose and we leave the organics alone unless we have a common goal. But the ones that killed the organics are like us and also like them."

"Uh… how does that work?"

"Now, take that screw in your left hand, and screw it into the hole under my chin. The race that killed the organics is organic themselves, but they are also machines. They take the Organics and turn them into robots. We call them the Organic Robots. We tried to tell the organics this, but they did not believe us because they are stupid."

It was about that time that Billy heard the whirring that he recognized as the approaching TARDIS. Despite his anger at the Doctor, he thought that perhaps it was the best sound he had ever heard.

The Doctor, predictably, was furious as he stalked out of the TARDIS doors. "I've been looking for you for over an hour! Why do you humans never seem to understand the words 'Don't wander off?'"

Billy ignored the Doctor except to ask, "Did you find the antidote?"

"Sure did! Sorry it took so long, there was a small bit of hero worship and it took longer than I'd thought to shirk the rest of the Sexbots. Anyway, Lara is resting comfortably. She's still got about 7 hours before she wakes up. She needs to sleep it off." The Doctor's eyes found the Murderbot, who was put together except for his left arm, which sat haphazardly on the ground next to him. "And who might this be?"

"I'm Wreckage, re-purposed Murderbot 2000 at your service."

The Doctor surveyed the Murderbot slowly, narrowing his eyes. "Murderbots, here? I should've expected this." He turned to Billy. "Muderbots should have been de-commissioned by now. When robot-kind first became sentient, they created Murderbots to protect them from the organics. But that should've been over almost 2,000 years ago."

Billy saw the anger in the Doctors' eyes, and apparently Wreckage did as well. "They were. They were only re-commissioned about two years ago. By the time robot-kind needed Murderbots again to protect them from the organics, all of the plans and schematics for the original Murderbots were lost. Robot-kind is mostly peaceful, and they say that these new Murderbots aren't nearly as effective as the old ones. We can kill an organic if we have to, but we're no match for the Organic Robots."

"Organic Robots?" If Wreckage had expected the Doctor's anger to lessen by his words, he was quite mistaken. The Doctor eyes were completely aflame now… but Billy realized that his anger was no longer directed at Wreckage. "What do these Organic Robots… What do they call themselves?"

Wreckage seemed eager to give the Doctor and Billy information. "We do not speak the name. But Billy here has helped me, and I am indebted to him." Wreckage climbed shakily off the ground and faced The Doctor and Billy slowly. "They call themselves the Cybermen."

***Doctor Who***

DOCTOR POV

The Doctor had sworn (among other things) never to have a Murderbot on his ship, but, he supposed, stranger things had happened. Anyway, this Murderbot seemed to be more like the peaceful machine race he typically encountered on this planet and less like the feared Murderbots of old. The Doctor spoke with Wreckage at length, and finally they hatched a plan.

The Doctor feared that Billy would be adverse to the plan, and had prepared to tell Billy to stay on the TARDIS with Lara while he and Wreckage worked to stop the machine war. However, when he confronted Billy about the issue, Billy steadfastly refused to stay with the TARDIS. "My first concern is Lara," he said, with more steel than the Doctor had previously thought him capable. "But it's like you said, she's sleeping. She's okay. She even woke up for a couple of minutes, told me she felt better, and she loved me, and she was tired."

The Doctor felt a huge stir of relief in his stomach, and told himself that he did not feel a slight pang of jealousy.

Billy continued, "I asked to go to a machine planet. These are things I'll never see again, Lara is right. That, and if I didn't go and tell her everything later, she'd probably kill me."

The Doctor looked at Billy for a hard minute, then nodded once. "Alright then." He paused, then continued. "Wreckage is right. If it is indeed Cybermen that have come to Quitessa, both the organics and robot-kind are in trouble."

"You've dealt with them before." It wasn't a question, and the Doctor knew it.

"I have," The Doctor confirmed. "And our dealings have never been pleasant." He thought of Rose, and suddenly felt old, and wearisome… and sad. "Be that as it may, it seems Sexbot wasn't the only one on Quitessa familiar with my reputation. I am rather brilliant, if I do say so myself. At my invitation, the leader of robot-kind and the leader of the organics have agreed to meet here, in three hours."

Billy nodded, and the Doctor realized that despite Billy's insistence on accompanying him in 3 hours, he was glad for the current lull. The Doctor thought for a minute and added, "You humans, you're better with sleep. Go lie down for a bit. I'll wake you, I promise."

Billy looked relieved again, and headed back toward where Lara slept in the med bay.

***Doctor Who***

As tempted as the Doctor had been to skip ahead 3 hours with the TARDIS, there were preparations to be made. First on the list was repairing Wreckage and his guns. The Doctor normally didn't believe in guns, but he begrudgingly admitted to himself that there was a large chance that this time, they would need them. Within 3 hours, Wreckage was once again a fully functioning Murderbot… and a fully functioning motor-mouth.

The Doctor eventually headed back to the med bay to awaken Billy. The room was small, and just by entering it he was already at the foot of the medical bed. He looked around the room carefully, deciding on the best method to awaken Lara's boyfriend.

Even before he saw the silver fab watch lying on the medical stand, he somehow felt it. A familiar feeling came over him, and he felt both alarmed and overjoyed and guilty at the same time. He stared at it for exactly thirty-seven seconds. "Not here," he thought. "Not one of them. Not like this." But there was no mistaking the Gallifreyan symbols on the watch.

It was then that Billy's eyes opened, slowly. "Time to go?" he said blearily.

"Where did you get that watch?" the Doctor asked, harsher than he had meant to.

Billy rubbed his eyes blearily and looked at the watch. He seemed to only vaguely recognize it. "It's… I don't know, it… um, it's Lara's… she asked me to look after it, because she didn't have any pockets, I think."

"It's Lara's?" The knowledge of this hit him in the stomach like a ton of bricks. "What did she say when she gave it to you to look after?"

Billy seemed to flinch under his gaze, and The Doctor realized with a start that he was far too close to the other man.

"Um… she didn't say anything, really." Billy looked confused. "Actually, it's weird. She, um… she gave it to me with her iphone, right before we went out to Quitessa. You know, I think I've held it for her loads of times… but I've never really thought about it." And then, suddenly, seemingly in slow motion, Billy began to open the watch.

The Doctor had taken on armies and won, and saved the Earth a million times over. As Billy made to open the fab watch, however, it felt like his life began to flash in front of his eyes. "Not Lara. This isn't how it's supposed to be. Not her choice. Not bound to me, not like that. Not her life."

"NOOOOOOOO," the Doctor screamed suddenly, diving for the watch.


	9. Chapter 8: The Cybermen

Authors' Note: Thanks again to my fiancé for the basic story outline and a few of the names.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Doctor Who universe, because if I did, David Tennant would be mine, but only on days that end with a "Y." I do own Lara and Billy, and my fiancé owns Wreckage.

Chapter Eight: The Cybermen

Billy POV

"What? Why?" Billy yelped, jumping up from the bed defensively. "What's going on? I haven't even… I didn't even realize that this watch was here until today, and now… it looks like…" Billy examined the stencils on the watch closely. It was the same circular writing that he had found on some parts of the TARDIS. How could Lara have a watch with that type of writing on it? And why hadn't Billy realized this until today? How many times had he seen the pocket watch on the dresser? He raised his eyebrows and looked at the Doctor accusingly.

An arrested look flashed briefly on the Doctor's face, followed by a hopeful look, then, finally, a look of resolution. "Don't ever open that. It's… it's not safe. I don't know how Lara got that watch, or where she got that watch, but it's extremely dangerous."

Billy asked immediately, "Is it from your home planet?"

The Doctor didn't meet his eyes when he answered, "Yes."

Billy looked at the Doctor accusingly. "How does she have a watch from your home planet? And how did I not know about it until today?" His voice was becoming sharper, and lower in octave.

The Doctor met Billy's intensity. "Well, more than likely, there was a perception filter active on the watch. That's the only thing that makes sense, anyway. You've never noticed the watch before, have you?"

"No." Billy thought hard. "It's been everywhere with her. It's the only thing she never loses. She loses her phone all the time, but that has always stayed with her, or at least in her sight. But neither of us have ever talked about it." This was getting weird, and it was giving Billy the creeps.

"Definitely a perception filter then. Perception filters are used to allow things, or people, to hide in plain sight. But it won't work here, on this planet. All perception filters are useless on Quitessa."

"But what is it hiding?" Billy asked, staring at the watch suspiciously.

The Doctor sighed, suddenly looking weary. He took the watch out of Billy's hands and turned it slowly in his own. "I know what they hid in my home world, but I'm not entirely sure about that one. I can't… please trust me that I can't tell you exactly what that watch is hiding." He looked at the watch with one small flash of longing, then held it back again for Billy.

As Billy reached out to take the watch back, the Doctor stopped him suddenly, looking again intense. Suddenly Billy could see why Wreckage said that Doctor was called the "Oncoming Storm" by his enemies. "If that watch is what I think it is, you must never let Lara see it again, ever. The perception filter will be broken now, and I can't reset it. If she sees it, she'll become curious. If the watch is opened, it will release something fantastic, but terrible. You may open the watch if you need to, in a case of life or death. If you and Lara are ever separated from me, and there is nothing else that you can do, open the watch. But what will be released will come at a price, and your life will never be the same."

The Doctor released his hold on the watch, then, and with it the intensity in his eyes died, and he smiled, again looking weary. "So. About that meeting…"

***Doctor Who***

Doctor POV

The leader of the Quitessians was a man called Bill. He had blond hair, a blond beard, and a firm handshake. His smile did not reach his eyes. He used a remote satellite to communicate with the Doctor, located in what the Doctor could only assume was an underground base. An additional six men of various important titles sat with him around a large, beat-up table and interjected when appropriate.

Wreckage set up communications in the TARDIS to also speak with the appointed leader of robot-kind, Syndrome. As the robots were partially hive-minded, Wreckage and Syndrome did not require additional advisors.

The Doctor began the negotiations with an enthusiastic and to-the-point speech about needing a united front against the Cybermen. He berated both sides for not working together prior to this. After that, he got a lot accomplished. He re-rotated the cystic de-fibrilator, sorted through the analog of all of the TARDIS' old rooms (except for Rose's), and pre-charged the power couplings.

Billy had fallen asleep on a cot provided by the TARDIS during the second hour of the negotiation, but awoke with a start when Lara entered the room. Lara was not one for watching government negotations on the best of days, so the Doctor was not surprised when she gave him a quick hug before dragging Billy away to another room.

After five hours, however, the negotiation had finished. Lara and Billy joined the Doctor in the conference room about four minutes after he had shut down communications. They both looked sleepy, and he suspected that his ship had awakened them.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Great!" she said, smiling. "Billy filled me in on everything I missed. What's the plan now?"

The Doctor broke into a wide grin. "Well, Bill and Syndrome have agreed to communicate everything we've discussed so that robot-kind and the organics will know we're on the same side now. We're all meeting at the place that the robots have identified is most likely to be the Cyber factory. Cybermen have a hive mind. If we can get rid of the Cyber-brain, the rest of them will shut down."

Lara nodded, and gave him a dark look.

"We're meeting an army of Murderbots and a delegation of organic _soldiers-…"_ (here the Doctor practically spat out the word) "a few miles outside of what the robots have identified as the Cybermen base. The first half hour should just be a gathering of everyone. With the technology that both sides can offer, this should be over quickly." He looked away as he said it, feeling ashamed.

Lara put her hand on his, and said seriously, "If even you think that these Cybermen must be destroyed, they must be a terrible race indeed. I've seen you spare the Sontarans, and if you think there's no other choice, I imagine you must be right."

He squeezed her hand. "If you don't mind, I'd like to wait a bit to join the gathering. I'd like to do a few scans on you before you leave the TARDIS again, just to make sure you're a-okay." With her hand in his, he realized he couldn't bear the thought of something happening to this bright, ingenius woman.

The scans were halfway complete when Wreckage burst through the door. "Doctor, come quickly! Something's gone wrong!" The Doctor ran to the door of the TARDIS, and saw the horrible scene outside. They were hovering right above the designated gathering place, which had somehow turned into an all-out war. There must have been hundreds of Murderbots, both in the sky and on the ground, fighting hundreds of organics. It was clear that the fight had just started, but the Doctor could already see small, un-moving lumps in the middle of the chaos on either side.

When a flash of green light just barely missed the Doctor's face, he shut the doors to the TARDIS and rounded on Wreckage. "What happened?"

"The organics started it, because they are stupid again!" Wreckage said indignantly. "We came expecting peace, but when they saw us they fired on us!"

The Doctor was the stupid one. He should have known it; he had known it. Of course there was treachery; it was always this way. But, now, he knew exactly what to do. He ignored Billy's and Lara's confused faces and sprung into action, turning several knobs at once on his console. "Recordings! Beautiful things. Never have a negotiation without one. I immediately set it to record because I did have to spend a good half hour underneath the console to fix the de-fibrilator, but it certainly has turned out to be useful! Now, all we have to do is end communication from back at base, and load this instead…"

Suddenly, Bill's voice surrounded the TARDIS, and a large 3-D picture of him was projected over the battlefield. "It does seem… as though these new silver robots, these Cybermen, may be different from robot-kind. Perhaps they have not been killing us. We will rendezvous with you near the lair of the Cybermen… we will join with robot-kind in battle against them." The message flickered again, then began again. "It does seem…"

The message played louder than the bullets, louder than the bombs. Slowly, one by one, both Murderbots and Quitessians began to put their guns down. It started in the back, and spread slowly toward the front. The Murderbots landed from their posts in the sky, and this encouraged the Quitessians to eventually lower their guns as well.

Wreckage was the first one to speak inside the TARDIS. "Approximately 57 casualties, 27 Murderbots and 30 Quitessians. General Echo, a Quitessian, has taken charge of the Quitessian soldiers. He and Syndrome would like to thank us. They are sending a delegation back with us, as well."

"Back with us?" Billy asked.

Lara seemed to be deep in thought. "The Cyber-brain is… an organic?" Lara said, looking at the Doctor in question. The Doctor knew she had made the intellectual leap, and was looking to him for confirmation.

"My guess is Bill, but we may never know Maybe all of the leaders. Most Cybermen are of the shiny silver variety, but eventually in time they do gain the ability to retain their original organic appearances. My guess is that we're dealing with one, or more, of those."

"How did you know the whole Quitessian army wasn't converted Cybermen?" asked Billy.

"I didn't," the Doctor answered solemnly, "but I was hoping. Judging by how the Quitessian army responded to that recording, we're in luck. It was a betrayal by the leaders of the Quitessians, not a full conversion."

Billy nodded. "We're going to find Bill, then."

The Doctor knew that Lara was better with people and relationships, but Billy seemed to have a mind for military strategy and machinery. He was not a soldier, exactly… more a strategist. "Bill would not be around the armies. He would be watching from a distance. He's probably taking advantage of the fact that the Quitessian base is emptied of soldiers right now. Any remaining soldiers are probably being turned into Cybermen, one by one. But, we have the advantage here."

"How?" Lara asked.

"Well, most people that come to the Quitessian base have to come through the doors," Billy said, understanding where the Doctor was headed.

"Funny thing, doors," the Doctor said with a grin, "I don't have to go through them."

***Doctor Who***

Billy POV

The Quitessians and Murderbots each sent a delegation with the TARDIS to the Quitessian base. As it had been emptied out so that the Quitessians could meet the robot-kind army, the Doctor and Billy doubted there would be many Quitessians left.

The Murder-bots reported upon approach that there were ten Cybermen inside the base and no other robot or Quitessian life-forms.

"I thought so," the Doctor said. "Whoever the Cyber-Brain is wasted no time in converting his remaining co-workers. They're all Cybermen now."

"They all must die," Wreckage said automatically. "I shall lead the charge. The Murderbots are not as effective as the Cybermen, but now that the Quitessians and robot-kind has joined together, even they have no chance."

The Doctor asked that Billy and Lara follow behind the small army so that they would be out of danger. Billy had the impression that the Doctor was concerned more for Lara's safety than for his, however he went along with the Doctor's request because he, too, was concerned for Lara's safety. Adventuring was one thing, but leading an army was something entirely different.

Eventually the gunshot noises stopped, however, and the members of their small army began to allow Billy and Lara to move forward to where the Doctor was firing questions at Bill, who was being held by three Murderbots including Wreckage. Bill looked worse for wear – he was missing an arm and there were bullet-holes in his face revealing silver metal underneath. There was no blood, only disconnected wires.

"…So you're here for the trade, then, and the peaceful people," the Doctor was saying.

"They were weak. It was easy. Easier than the Cybermen dreamed. Your races are all inferior."

"I have heard enough!" said the Murderbot on the right. "Murderbots do not have mercy for your kind."

"Wait-…" screamed the Doctor, but Bill cut him off. "The Cybermen will terminate communication with subjects on Quitessia rather than allow the Doctor to learn our bigger plans. The Doctor will not always be around to protect the humans. Delete!" After that, there was a resounding sound of metal on metal, a few sparks, and Bill seemed to slump onto the floor.

There was a lot of chaos after that. Billy wanted to watch what happened next. Would the rest of the Cybermen on Quitessia slump and "delete" themselves, as the Doctor had predicted? It seemed they had. A Murderbot nearby was telling a Quitessian, "…All gone dormant at their base. No casualties. There wasn't even a lock working to keep the larger force out."

Lara squeezed Billy's hand, and he realized that she was trying to pull him back to the TARDIS. "The Doctor never stays," she said.

Sure enough, Billy watched the Doctor disappear into the TARDIS, gesturing at them to follow.

***Doctor Who***

Lara POV

The sky was back to a beautiful lavender color, which the Doctor said was normal. "The storm was caused by the Cybermen," he said. "It fueled their energy, and weakened the energy of robot-kind. But it's gone now. In a century or so, the planet will be back to normal." He smiled a bit, then added, "the time-line is back on track."

The celebration party was scheduled to go on for several hours, but Lara understood the Doctor well enough to know that he would not want to stay long. He did seem particulary keen on some of the sugar cakes that were made by the Quitessians, however, so Lara and Billy were left to enjoy the celebration while they could.

Eventually, they hooked up with Wreckage, who was as talkative as usual. "The Doctor said that you originally came to Quitessia because you wanted to see giant robots," Wreckage commented.

"Well, yeah, but I still got to meet a Murderbot. That was pretty cool."

Wreckage gave his version of a thumbs-up, which would have looked comical if not for the wide variety of weapons he was holding. "Robot-kind recently designed several twenty-foot, non-sentient fighting machines that the Murderbots can operate in a protected pod in the torso region. We never got a chance to actually use them in battle-…"

"Battle pods?" Billy asked excitedly. Lara rolled her eyes.

"Yes. Actually, that is a rather good name for them. We had not come up with one yet. Anyway, we won't need them anymore. As a celebration and peace offering to the Quitessians, robot-kind has chosen two volunteers to control the Battle Pods, as you call them, in a fight. I have been chosen as one of the volunteers! Would you like to come watch?"

Billy drug Lara to watch the Battle Pods excitedly, but she didn't mind. She knew that Billy was now as addicted to life with the Doctor as she knew that she was.

Wreckage won the Battle Pod fight, and was immediately surrounded by dozens of fans. He managed to escape the throng, however, and thanked Billy for all of his help. Lara took a picture of Wreckage and Billy on their phone, and Billy promised to visit sometime in the future.

Finally, however, Lara saw the Doctor out of the corner of her eye, and tugged on Billy's hand again.

"Time to go?" he asked, this time understanding.

"Time to go." Lara watched as Billy waved at Wreckage one last time as the TARDIS took off into the vortex once more.


	10. Chapter 9: The Beast on the Farplane

Authors' Note: On this one I took the setting, the Guado, and the name Auron from Final Fantasy X. Auron rocks.

Also, thanks for all the reads, follows, and reviews! You guys rock! You make me smile, thanks for the appreciation!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Doctor Who universe, because if I did, David Tennant would be mine, but only on days that end with a "Y." Square Enix owns Final Fantasy X. But, I really think they should make a movie out of it. And cast Christopher Eccleston as Auron.

Chapter Nine: The Beast on the Farplane

Doctor POV

The idea of Lara being Gallifreyan had taken root in the Doctor's mind and stuck there like a weed. For the most part, the Doctor had decided that the watch must never be opened. He knew firsthand what a horrible existence it was to bear the responsibility of being the last of ones' species, and he would never wish that for Lara. Never, not in a million years.

Although Lara had never discussed it with him, the Doctor was well aware that she knew what had happened to Gallifrey, and why he was the only Time Lord left. Any information she hadn't been able to piece together from his rare comments about his home planet she had surely learned from the TARDIS. The Doctor knew that Lara could speak with the TARDIS, which was the best proof he knew of her Gallifreyan roots.

What must she think of him, now that she knew he'd destroyed his home planet? Clearly she still wanted to travel with him, and surely the TARDIS had explained to her why there was no other course of action for him during the Time War. Still, he could not bring himself to speak to her about it due to his fears of both her feedback and the entire topic in general.

Still, the Doctor thought, it was one thing for Lara to forgive him for the destruction of Gallifrey when she thought of the Gallifreyans as alien; it was another thing entirely if Lara ever realized that she, too, was from Gallifrey.

Despite the Doctor's determination to keep Lara from opening the fab watch, there was a tiny part of him – a very, _very_ tiny part – that occasionally imagined the two of them traveling in the TARDIS for the next thousand years. They could start the Gallifreyan race anew, and this time it would not be corrupt, but brilliant and vibrant like Lara – but he couldn't think like that. They would likely never be able to undo the Pythian curse, anyway.

Ultimately, after two months, it was the Doctor's curiousity that eventually got the better of him. Just because he couldn't allow Lara to open the watch didn't mean he couldn't do a little research about who exactly she might be. And that was the real reason they went to Macalania.

***Doctor Who***

Lara POV

Macalania was by far the most beautiful place the Doctor had yet taken Billy and Lara. It was a large forest planet, as far as the eye could see. It was not a normal forest, however; the trees were far taller than the largest skyscrapers in New York, and they grew thick and broad out of an endless ocean. They also came in a wide range of bluish-green colors, ranging from teal to dark grey to bright green.

The people of Macalania, called Guados, made their homes in the tops of the gigantic trees. They were a fairly indigenous people, and the homes were made in hollowed-out tree trunks. Everything seemed to shimmer and shine, and the trees themselves seemed to sing.

The most beautiful thing about Macalania, however, was the pyreflies.

"We're headed for the Farplane," said the Doctor.

"Farplane?" asked Billy.

"The Farplane is where the pyreflies live," the Doctor said.

"Pyreflies?"

"The pyreflies are tiny flying creatures… they look like your fireflies. They can be blue, or purple, or green, or gold... but it's more than that." The Doctor was grinning with excitement, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Pyreflies react to the memories of the dead, even faint memories, and create an echo," the Doctor continued. "If a relative, or someone close to you, has died, you can go to the Farplane to see them again. Sometimes – very rarely, but sometimes – they even speak. You can't get definite answers to a problem, or anything of that sort... It's more like you're speaking to your memory of them."

"Is there someone that you want to speak to?" Lara asked the Doctor carefully. She had already suspected the answer, but his quick flinch confirmed her suspicions.

"The pyreflies have a hive-mind," the Doctor said, ignoring Lara's question. "The Farplane is one of the few places in the world where time is relative, and the lines between one point and the next become blurred. It's a bit like being in the TARDIS.

"The Farplane is just up here," the Doctor continued. The three of them faced a long, stone stairway that seemed to descend into the heavens. The top of the stairway was covered with puffy yellow, white, and pink clouds. "The most fascinating thing about the pyreflies is their song. The pyreflies make a special sort of music, which seems to echo the lost loved ones. Everyone's song is different. The songs can usually be heard all the way from the bottom of the Farplane stairway."

"Uh… You mean this stairway?" asked Lara carefully.

"Yes," the Doctor said slowly. "This stairway."

But the stairway was silent. Now that Lara knew that there was supposed to be music, the silence felt strange and eerie.

Billy sighed, and Lara thought that she knew what was coming next. All of the Doctor's travels seemed to have a secret mission, and this apparently was no exception. Sometimes she doubted whether even the Doctor knew the reason why they landed at a specific destination. He seemed as surprised as anyone, for example, that there was no song.

"There should be singing," the Doctor stated, pouting. "Why isn't there singing?" And, without further ado, he grabbed Lara's hand, and dragged her (with Billy in lieu) up the remaining stairs.

Above the line of the clouds, the Farplane seemed to stretch on forever. It also continued to be eerily silent, as though all of the pyreflies were holding their breath. Every so often, Lara saw a small green light or a small yellow light dart from one place to another, but they were few and far between.

"I don't understand," the Doctor said. "This whole place is usually swarming with pyreflies. They're attracted to this place, like a moth to a flame. Here, I'll try to boost the signal." Lara heard a small buzzing, and realized that the Doctor was fiddling with his sonic screwdriver.

The pyreflies came slowly, but the buzzing of the sonic screwdriver seemed to attract them. Soon the whole atmosphere was filled with yellow, green, blue, and purple lights. Slowly, the lights took shape, and Lara saw a figure she recognized: her grandfather. He smiled at her, and waved. Lara felt a tear fall from her eye, and she waved back at him and smiled as well.

Suddenly, her grandfather looked sharply to her left, then disappeared with a look of horror. The look reminded Lara of his face when he had first seen the reavers. Her heart dropping to her throat, Lara looked left as well.

In front of the Doctor stood a beautiful blond woman. She wore a pink jacket and blue jeans, but her most striking feature was her eyes, which were bright gold. The Doctor looked stricken, and whispered softly, "Rose."

Suddenly the figure began to speak in an expressionless, monotone voice. "You should not have come, but perhaps we are glad you did."

"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked, gazing intensely at the blond woman. "You've never spoken to me before."

"We pyreflies reflect memories," said the woman. "Memories of the dead and beloved, but also of the gone and damned. We have stopped singing. We cannot gather in one place anymore, for fear of bringing out the Beast from Below."

Suddenly, Rose's face changed horribly. Her eyes changed from golden to a horrible red, and her creamy face became covered in what looked like calligraphy. If Rose's voice had been expressionless and monotone before, it now lowered and became horrible. "I am the rage, and the vile, and the ferocity! I am the sin, and the darkness! I have died, but I can rise again!"


	11. Chapter 10: The Plan

Authors' Note: On this one I took the setting, the Guado, and the name Auron from Final Fantasy X. Auron rocks.

Also, thanks for all the reads, follows, and reviews! You guys rock! You make me smile, thanks for the appreciation!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Doctor Who universe, because if I did, David Tennant would be mine, but only on days that end with a "Y." Square Enix owns Final Fantasy X. But, I really think they should make a movie out of it. And cast Christopher Eccleston as Auron.

Chapter Ten: The Plan

Doctor POV

The Doctor could feel the Beast, in his mind. The Beast gathered at the edge of his awareness, attempting to infiltrate, making his head pound and his vision turn red.

He would not, could not let this happen. "Run!" screamed the Doctor, and he turned off his screwdriver and pocketed it. The pyreflies immediately began to disperse, and the figure of Rose appeared to be struggling to maintain form. The Doctor did not wait; he grabbed Lara's hand, and together the three of them ran down the stairs as quickly as they could.

***Doctor Who***

Doctor POV

Five minutes later, the Doctor continued to pace near the bottom of the stairs, refusing to speak. His mind was abuzz with possible plans, explanations, and solutions, but none of them would work. Even worse was the invasion of his mind, so unplanned, intrusive. He had been possessed several times – by the being on Midnight, and by Cassandra, among others – but never by a being with so much hate. He was ashamed to think that he had only barely kept control.

His focus was broken by Lara's voice. "Uh, any time you plan on letting us into your… uh… mental tirade… would be awesome."

Honestly, for once, he had forgotten she was there.

"Right," the Doctor said. He thought briefly of attempting to send Billy and Lara home, then dismissed the thought. If the Beast did rejoin the corporeal world, there would soon be no "home" for them to go back to. This established, he began his explanation.

"I've met that thing – the Beast – before, a few years back. 'Still not sure what it was, exactly. I'd honestly hoped to never meet it again. Anyway, Rose and I destroyed its body, and its prison – sent it into a black hole, actually." At this the Doctor smiled, pridefully.

"Pyreflies show the dead – which, I suppose, is why the Beast has shown up now-…"

Suddenly, however the Doctor was cut off as three Guados came bursting into sight, running full-tilt toward the Doctor. "Do not go to the Farplane!" the one in front yelled. He appeared rougher than the other two, with long red robes and slightly greying hair. "It isn't safe!"

"Quite right," the Doctor said, stopping his pacing and switching tact immediately. "I am the Doctor, and these are my assistants, Billy and Lara. And who might you be?" The Doctor held out his psychic paper, and saw Billy and Lara share a grin.

"Doctor! Excellent, it is such an honor!" said the first Guado thankfully. He glanced briefly at the psychic paper, but said, "You do not need your false papers here. Your reputation is enough."

The Doctor grinned at the Guado. "A High Priest! I haven't seen any of you in a few lifetimes," he said.

"It has been some time," the Guado agreed, "but the High Priests can still recognize you from your Song, no matter the look of your face. I am Auron, High Priest of the Guado, and these are my assistants, Tidus and Kimahri. I very much hope you can help us."

"When did you first see the Beast?" asked the Doctor.

"Only about a year ago, of our time," said Auron. "It didn't show itself for the general population. But, when the Priests summoned the pyreflies, it began to speak." He shuddered. "Horrible it was, like the Devil himself."

"That fits," the Doctor said. "A year here is about three years on Earth, I should think."

"I take that to mean you sent this Beast to us in the first place?" asked Auron harshly.

"I suppose I do have to take responsibility for that," the Doctor said. "Though I never dreamed it would turn up here. I sent it through a black hole."

"All black holes must end somewhere," answered the Guado solemnly.

The Doctor nodded.

Lara interjected. "If you don't mind?"

The Doctor nodded.

"So, to clarify, you and a former companion destroyed this Beast a few years ago. And so now it's showing up in the Farplane?"

The Doctor nodded again.

"You said the pyreflies echo _memories_ of the dead. So… somebody would have to have known the Beast to summon it." Lara turned Auron. "Did you meet the Beast as well?"

Auron shook his head. "None of the Guadosalam here in Macalania have ever met the Beast during our lifetime. But there is some lore to suggest that if a magician, or magical being, is powerful enough, it can take shape on the Farplane using the pyreflies without being summoned by memories."

The Doctor arched one eyebrow, urging Auron to continue. "It is rumored that in ages past, when evil spirits came to the Farplane, High Priests would provoke them to draw them out into the open. If appropriately provoked, they would leave the Farplane and take possession of the most powerful Guado, or other being, nearby. They would of course have less strength than when they were "alive", as it were… but some of them still had substantial force of will. In these cases, the Priests would then take the possessed individual and perform a ceremony on them to trap the spirit, lest it continue to infect the Farplane."

"But you have not tried this?" Billy asked.

"I dare not," Auron said sadly. "This Beast is stronger than any being the Guado have attempted to trap before, even in the lore. Mentally, the Beast would overwhelm even the most confident Guado. When the possessed mind stops fighting, it would be as if the Beast was corporeal again."

The Doctor nodded. "There's more," Auron added, and the Doctor got the sense that Auron was relieved to finally discuss this with someone. "Normally, in the lore, these bad spirits possess the first or strongest person to come along. But it has been 3 years, and the Beast has never attempted to possess any of the Priests. Pyreflies do not gather in groups, lest the Beast draw strength from them. And yet, even when the pyreflies have been summoned, the Beast does not attempt possession. It's like… it's like he's waiting for someone."

"He was waiting for me," the Doctor said darkly.

***Doctor Who***

Lara POV

The Doctor had gone into the depths of the Guado Synagogue with Auron, and had not reappeared for almost an hour. By the time Auron's voice finally floated up the stairs of the large, decorated lobby, Lara's patience was beginning to wear thin, and she had prepared a few choice words for the Doctor's return. "I believe I can re-create the Exorcism Ceremony of old," Auron was saying, "and I have completed the potion you asked for. But you must be sure this is something you wish to attempt. I will warn you again, Doctor, and I want to be plain. This procedure might very well kill you."

Lara's practiced speech was immediately forgotten as the Doctor came into view. "I killed the Beast in the first place. Honestly I never dreamed it would find its way to the Farplane." He looked at Auron. "And we both know I'm the only one strong enough to kill it."

"You're not really thinking of going back and facing that thing!" Lara exclaimed. "Certainly there must be someone else in the universe that is equipped to take on this Beast."

The Doctor looked modest for once, though resolute, but it was Auron who spoke. "He is the last of his kind. Though the Guados understand the pyreflies and the Farplane, the Time Lords were the only race that had both the telepathic abilities to allow possession by a spirit from the Farplane and the mental strength to control it. And the Doctor was always accomplished, even for a Time Lord."

"You're a telepath?" Billy said, but Lara realized that she had known this. This was how she had spoken with the TARDIS, the thought. Was she a telepath too? Perhaps that was a subject for a different time.

The Doctor nodded. "Everyone has low-level telepathic abilities. Haven't you ever thought for a second that you knew what someone else was thinking, by intuition, and turned out to be right? But some people, some races, have more telepathic abilities than others."

"You can't… hear what I'm thinking?" Billy asked.

"Gallifreyans are touch telepaths," he answered. "I would need physical contact to see inside the mind of a being that isn't typically telepathic, unless a permanent bond is established. But, I am able to receive telepathic messages sent by beings that communicate in this way."

"That's what we do with the TARDIS, isn't it?" Lara asked.

"Yes. You have surprisingly good telepathic abilities for a human, so she can communicate with you. But not half as well, dare I say, as she does with me."

Lara felt affronted, but ultimately decided that this was probably for the best. She turned back to the matter at hand.

"What makes you think you have enough strength to fight the Beast in your mind?"

"I am rather brilliant," the Doctor said, then added, "If I didn't have at least a fighting chance, we never would have made it out of the Farplane before."

"The Beast was trying to possess you?"

The Doctor nodded. "In normal cases, possession is a bit like being hypnotized."

"Normal cases?" Billy asked, raising an eyebrow, but the Doctor ignored him.

"In normal cases of possession, you're operating against your will, obviously. But unless the entity possessing you is exceptionally strong, it can't make you do something you really, _really_ don't want to do. It can't make you end your life, for example, or the life of a loved one."

"And I suppose that the Beast falls in the category of really, _really_ strong?" Billy asked.

Auron nodded. "Fortunately, there are a few preventative measures the Guados have learned to take in this sort of situation to ensure the safety of the world of the living, at least."

"Auron has modified the potion usually taken by High Priests about to attempt being possessed to work even on the Gallifreyan superior biology," the Doctor said. "Just before I go onto the Farplane, I will take the potion. For the next 24 hours, I will be severely weakened, physically. The Beast, like the other evil sorcerers and magicians that have made their way to the Farplane, is only as strong as the body it possesses. During this time, the High Priests will attempt to exorcise the Beast from my body and trap it as it was trapped before."

"You can't just trap it in the Farplane, without needing to throw yourself on the metaphorical fire and make yourself a vessel?" asked Lara sarcastically.

"Unfortunately not," said Auron. "The Farplane is a separate world, almost like another dimension. Until the Beast leaves that realm to possess a being, he cannot be trapped and will continue to wreak havoc on the Farplane."

"What happens after 24 hours?" Lara asked, though she thought she already knew.

"If the Beast has not yet been exorcised, I must be killed. Once the potion wears off, I will become strong again. The Beast in the body of a Time Lord is not a good combination. Auron cannot risk what I may do to the rest of the universe."

Auron nodded sadly. If the Doctor cannot push the Beast out of his mind and into a new vessel where it will be trapped, an urn, once the exorcism ceremony begins, there is no hope for the Farplane as it used to be. Our best hope then is to protect the world of those still living."

There was silence for a second, until Auron said, "When was the last time you slept, Time Lord?"

The Doctor appeared to think for a second, and Lara realized that she couldn't remember the Doctor ever even attempting to sleep. Even when their adventures had kept them away from the TARDIS for days at a time, he never seemed inclined to sleep.

"Please stay for the night," Auron said, "and we can attempt the ceremony tomorrow. You must be at your best."

Lara understood the Doctors' quick nod to mean that he had resigned himself to the fact that this would be necessary. "Fine," he said, "but I'll sleep on the TARDIS."

***Doctor Who***

The Doctor POV

Lara and Billy had already gone to bed, but the Doctor knew he would still have trouble sleeping; he always did. He decided to spend a couple of hours reading in the library and then attempt to bed down.

After about a half hour, he was surprised to hear the soft patter of feet and then see Lara's silhouette in the entrance to the hallway. He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Couldn't sleep," she said, entering the library quietly. "And aren't _you_ supposed to be sleeping?" She was wearing a green bathrobe tied around her waist. He could see that she had on nightclothes of some sort under the bathrobe, but he thought they covered less than they revealed. He thought that he shouldn't even be thinking of such things.

"Couldn't sleep," he echoed.

She sat next to him then on the burgundy love seat. As if in slow motion, she curled up next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He understood that it was a friendly gesture, made because of the peril he faced tomorrow. Still, he had to force himself not to stiffen in surprise, and to calm both of his hearts.

"If I die tomorrow, you'll still be able to get home on the TARDIS," he said slowly.

She stiffened for a second, but then relaxed, and curled, if possible, closer to him. "I hadn't even thought about that," she said softly.

"Well, I've set the TARDIS to automatic," he said, compelled to finish his explanation. "If I die, it'll take you and Billy home as soon as you step in the door."

Lara was silent. Then, "how much… how much of a chance do you have… tomorrow?"

"A good chance to be sure," the Doctor said, which was only partially a lie. "I was able to control his mental onslaught enough to get us out of there. That should count for something."

"But if the potion you'll take will weaken you…?"

"It will weaken my physical strength. It'll make me closer to human in body, a weak human at that. But, I'll remain strong in mind."

Lara was silent for awhile again, until she asked, "What's the difference between a human and a Gall-i-frey-an?" She sounded out the syllables, trying the word out of the first time.

The Doctor sighed. He wondered how much she already knew, from communication with the TARDIS. He wondered if she had planned to corner him into discussing his past now that he thought he was about to die, or if the conversation had occurred naturally on Lara's part. Either way, he supposed that he owed her this. Perhaps he owed Gallifrey this.

"Gallifreyans look like humans," he said. "Or, more accurately, humans look Gallifreyan, because we came first. Gallifreyans have two hearts. My species were stronger, faster, and able to regulate our own body temperatures. We have control over our bodily functions, too. But most importantly, we were touch telepaths. In some circumstances, and with permission, we could enter the mind of other beings. Some species, and even very accomplished Gallifreyans, didn't even need to touch to communicate telepathically."

It hurt him to talk about Gallifrey, particularly now that he realized he'd slipped into past tense. What was he doing, anyway? She would never open the watch. She would never be Gallifreyan. It was better that way. He wanted the conversation to end. "But Gallifrey is gone now. I'm the last one."

She crawled out of her position and stared at him, curiously, and in that moment, he felt that this woman could see right through him. "Do you find a lot of species to communicate with telepathically?"

He was honest with her. "No."

She continued her piercing stare. Finally, she braved, "Isn't that… lonely?"

He had expected the question, and yet it still hurt. He answered her flatly, "Yes," and willed her to end the conversation.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he countered.

"I don't want you to die."

"I know. I'm not ready yet either."

"What could I do to help?" she asked.

"Nothing… not really." A thought struck him. "Tomorrow, before I face that thing, remind me about things that encourage me. Remind me about the adventures we've had. Remind me about… about Rose…"

Lara didn't ask who Rose was. Instead she nodded, and added, "I will."

They sat in silence for awhile longer. He tried to stay awake, but he was so tired, and the TARDIS was singing her beautiful song in his ear. Lara felt warm and soft next to him, and finally he fell into a deep sleep.

When he awoke nine hours later, she was gone.


	12. Chapter 11: The Beast Within

Authors' Note: On this one I took the setting, the Guado, and the name Auron from Final Fantasy X. Auron rocks.

Thanks for all the reads, follows, and reviews! You guys rock! You make me smile, thanks for the appreciation!

This is where the T rating comes in, so you have been warned for mild violence.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Doctor Who universe, because if I did, David Tennant would be mine, but only on days that end with a "Y." Square Enix owns Final Fantasy X. But, I really think they should make a movie out of it. And cast Christopher Eccleston as Auron.

Chapter Eleven: The Beast Within

Lara's POV

It was time.

"This potion will give you roughly the strength of a fairly sick, feeble Guado or human," Auron said to the Doctor. "You'll have difficulty moving without help. But, you won't _actually_ be sick. You'll still have excellent mental acuity. Assuming the Beast does take possession of you as you predict, we'll take you out of the Farplane and into the room where the exorcism ceremony is performed, the Room of Sanctity. There, the spirit of the Beast will be unable to leave your body, except to go into the urn where we intend to trap it.

The Doctor nodded, then turned to Lara and Billy. "I'll have 24 hours to fight the Beast out of my body. If I succeed, I'll be able to force it into the urn. If I don't succeed, Auron will have to kill me."

"What would happen if you just took another potion after the 24 hours?" Lara asked.

"My body would've learned to metabolize the potion faster," the Doctor said.

"Were the Beast willing to possess anyone less powerful than the Doctor, it may have been easier," Auron added. "With a Time Lord, we have only one shot at this."

"If the Doctor can't send the Beast into the urn, couldn't it just go back to the Farplane?"

Auron began to speak, but the Doctor cut him off. "My life is not worth all of the spirits in the Farplane. If I die in this endeavor, you can find me on the Farplane. But the Beast's spirit will have no tether, and so then will either disintegrate or be forced into the urn."

"We could never ask this of you, Doctor," Auron said, looking sheepish.

The Doctor nodded. "I know, Auron. I am taking this upon myself."

"There is one more thing," Auron said. "I must ask that your human companions remain outside of the Room of Sanctity."

"NO!" Lara said, at the same time Billy snapped, "Why?"

The Doctor looked apologetic. "He's right. In this case, you might be a distraction that we can't afford."

Lara couldn't help it; she began to cry. She saw the Doctor move forward as if to hug her, but Billy got there first, catching her in a bear hug. Instead, the Doctor hugged them both. "I'll be fine," he said happily, though Lara didn't believe him. "Don't worry, in a few hours we'll be back in the TARDIS, just like always."

It seemed to Lara to be no time at all before the Doctor had sat down in a wheelchair, taken the potion, and been wheeled onto the Farplane. She had tried to remind him about happy times, about Rose, but he seemed eager to enter the Room of Sanctity. Lara barely registered that the stairs to the Farplane had turned themselves into a ramp, but simply watched as the Doctor disappeared through the foggy clouds.

Doctor POV

The potion was disgusting. It tasted like a combination of various plants, but he could also pick out a sharp metallic taste, combined with a spongy texture, like mushrooms. He felt it bubble all the way down his throat. He shivered, but felt no different. When he tried to lift his hand, however, he found it extremely difficult. He laid his head back gently on the headrest. It was like being paralyzed, he thought; still, his mind was as sharp as ever.

The Beast was waiting for him. He had barely been wheeled through the clouds and summoned the pyreflies when he felt, immediately, the Beast playing with the edges of his mind. _I'm glad I convinced Auron to tell Lara and Billy to wait outside,_ he thought, _they really don't need to see this._ It was his last clear thought.

Suddenly, he saw everything through a shade of red. He felt heavy, and yet sharp and keen at the same time. His head began to pound. And he was so angry! He heard himself say, "I am the hatred, and the vile, and the - …" No! This was not him! He made an attempt to shake his head to clear it, and remembered the potion he had taken.

"What is this!" The Beast was roaring. "You are powerless! You have become weak! What is this vile thing you have drank?"

 _Beast, you have nowhere to go._ The Doctor could feel that he was being moved somewhere.

"The Room of Sanctity!? Ha! You think I'll go that easily? Me, the Beast of ages past, the Rage, the Fire…"

 _Get out of my head._ He had stopped moving. The priests had begun chanting near him.

"Never! They won't dare kill you, Doctor, and I shall be free once again! But if they do kill you… if they do, I shall have my revenge! What will the world be without the Doctor? What will happen to your precious Earth then?"

 _You will never be free. And you will never hurt them._ The Doctor was dimly aware that he had stopped moving. Only Auron was with him, now, and two other priests. He was lying on a long, cement slab, with a large urn near his head. Before he could stop it, his hand moved of its own accord, colliding with the urn, though the hit had not been precise. The urn tottered, and was caught by one of the priests, who kept it in hand. The Doctor felt the pain in his hand, but ignored it.

"Weak, weak Time Lord! You think you can save yourself, save them?! You couldn't even save your people!" The flashbacks came, if that's what they were. Images of Gallifrey burning, of a small child screaming, women and children running…

 _I had to… I had to do it…_ The chanting continued, as though from far away.

"And so you run, Doctor, you always run! You ran from your people because you were afraid, and then you ran because you were ashamed!"

 _Get out of my head… I won't let them be hurt… not this time!_

"And let's talk about your new companions! The Boy Left Behind, and the Girl of Gallifrey, what future will they have with you?"

 _You will never hurt them. Girl of Gallifrey…_

"Her life would be easier if you were dead, wouldn't it? She never has to know she's Gallifreyan, never has to know what you've done, never has to make the choice."

 _I don't want that for her…_

"You know where this path ends, Doctor. So eager to die that you would run from her, as well. But if you're so eager to die, better get on with it!" His hand shot out again of its own accord, nearly missing his face, then falling limp. It seemed that the Beast had control of his limbs, but the potion had taken away much of his strength and all of his accuracy.

He heard someone say, "Tie him down!" But another voice said, "He must do this on his own." _Do what on his own? Surely he should be allowed out of this place. He wanted to see Rose…_

"No, Doctor, you must fight the Beast in your head. You mustn't give up." He thought the voice belonged to someone named Auron, though he couldn't think of his face.

The red was blurring most of his vision now. _Why is everything red? I am the Rage, and the Burning, and the – NO I'M NOT! I am the DOCTOR! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!_

"You can't fight me forever," The Beast said. "Convince them to let me out, or you shall die, in the end. And then I shall have my revenge."

Lara's POV

It had been 23 hours and 30 minutes. She had slept a little, though not much. Billy was sleeping now, or, at least, he was pretending to sleep. As the 24-hour mark approached, she had taken to pacing around the room. She'd taken the Rose Serum, of course, but she supposed it only helped with chemical imbalances, not generally anxiety-provoking situations.

When a priest finally popped his head through the door, her head whipped around immediately to face him. "What's happened?"

"He's still fighting," the priest, Tidus, said slowly. The priest looked as though he was fighting sleep himself. His previously perfect blond hair was matted with sweat and disheveled, and there were dark rings around his eyes. His robes were wrinkled and, in one place, torn. "From what I can gather, the spirit of the Beast knows that it may disintegrate for good, but it would rather do so than move to the urn. It considers the Doctor's death to be revenge for whatever the Doctor did to it in the past. The Doctor is putting up a good fight, but not good enough to eject the Beast from his head."

But Lara had already ran past the Tidus, with Billy hot on her heals. The sight she met was horrifying. If Auron and the two priests looked tired and drained, the Doctor looked beyond exhausted. Lara had never seen the Doctor this way before. His shoes had been cast aside some time ago, as well as one of his socks and his suit. The blue shirt underneath was covered in sweat, and what looked like matted blood. It was ripped at the sleeve, so the Doctor's right arm was bare. One of his pantlegs was similarly slashed, and dangled by a thread at the knee. Blood trickled from a small wound on the top of the Doctor's head, and his right eye seemed to be swollen shut. As Lara watched, the Doctor attempted to punch himself in the face, instead tottering backward awkwardly. The Doctor then collapsed back on the slab, motionless. His legs pointed at an odd angle, and his eyes bobbed in every direction, unseeing.

"Doctor!" Lara cried, and ran to his side, pinning his arms to his side.

The Doctor seemed to come out of a deep trance for a second, and his eyes focused on her briefly. "Lara?"

"That's right!" Lara cried. "I have something for-…"

"Look how she weeps, the weak human!" the Doctor roared suddenly in a voice that was not his own, and with surprising strength he shoved her off of him. The shove was ill-aimed, though, and rather than hurting Lara the Doctor rolled off the slab and collided with the floor.

"Is this how he's been for 23 hours?" Billy demanded of the Guados, looking murderous.

"I am the Fire, the Fury, the Rage!" screamed the Doctor.

Auron addressed him calmly, sadly. "He has. We can't tie him down for long. He would use too much of his mental strength to break free of the bonds, and it would distract him from what he needs to be doing. It looks bad, but for a Time Lord all of this damage will heal in a day or two."

Billy was still looking murderous, but the Doctor came to life again, this time in his own voice: "I will fight you! You won't hurt them!"

"Can you just hold him down for a second? I just need him to stay in one place so he can look at something!"

Auron nodded. "We're hoping that those who know him best will be able to calm him, focus him. It wouldn't hurt, at least, not at this point."

"I will never tell her! She will never live like me!" the Doctor was yelling, flailing his arms in the air. The two priests each grabbed one side of the Doctor, draping themselves over him and pinning him to the slab.

"Shhhh!" Lara said to him, putting her hand on his arm once again. His head whipped toward her, and his eyes seemed to focus on her for just a second before he let out a long, pitying cry.

"Rose," Lara said, because it was the first thing she could think of. That was the name of the girl that he was in love with, the TARDIS had said. That was the name of the girl he had seen in the Farplane. The Doctor's eyes snapped back to Lara again, as though scared.

"What would Rose want?" she whispered.

He was silent, and, she realized, listening.

Lara pulled out a small device, placing it flat in her hand and pressing a small button. The visage of a beautiful blond girl arose out of the device.

The Doctor looked murderous. "She, who shall die in battle," he said in the Beasts' low voice.

"But she didn't die in battle!" the Doctor said in his own voice, attempting to jump up triumphantly. He was held down by the two priests, but he only spared them a brief, shocked glance before addressing Lara again. "She didn't!" Now he seemed to be asking for verification, as though he himself was unsure.

"She didn't die in battle," Lara said fiercely, because it seemed to be what the Doctor needed. She honestly wasn't sure what had happened to Rose.

"No, she didn't," the Doctor said, a fierce look on his face. He looked murderous, but he also looked more himself than he had even 30 seconds before. "She's safe, in another universe." He stared through Lara as he said, "And Lara will be safe, too. She will never suffer my fate! She will never open it! NOW GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

At once, it seemed as though a gust of wind filled the room. The Doctor collapsed on the slab, unconscious, and Lara heard Auron slam the top down on the urn with a loud _CLANG_!

Billy POV

The Doctor had been unconscious for 24 hours, but Auron assured Billy and Lara that he was "just sleeping. He's exhausted. He'll be okay in a day or so." The priests bathed and cleaned him, and Lara provided him with a new suit from the TARDIS. After this was complete, the Doctor looked much better. He had a rather prominent black eye and a cut near his forehead, but the injuries looked much less severe without all the matted blood.

"The potion worked," Auron said. "These are not the injuries that would've occurred had he been at his physical peak. A normal Time Lord could've killed all of us and himself, if he'd wanted."

This was hard to imagine, so Billy chose not to. He had been wrestling with his own demons, actually. He was extremely angry with the Doctor, though he couldn't put his finger on why. The Doctor had done nothing to endanger Lara or himself; in fact, he had ridded the world (and now the Farplane as well) of a great evil. So, Billy chose to keep his thoughts to himself.

It had taken every ounce of persuasion he possessed to convince Lara not to ask about the Doctors' words while he was possessed. "And Lara will be safe too. She will never suffer my fate! She will never open it!" He was referring to the watch, surely. What was in the watch? How would it make Lara "suffer his fate?"

Billy was sure of only one thing, and that was that he didn't want to find out. "Don't you trust the Doctor?" he'd asked her. "Obviously, it was something he didn't want you to know. He must've known that a familiar face would be helpful when fighting the Beast, and yet he still didn't want you around while he did it. Obviously it's something he doesn't want you to know about. And if it's something he's afraid of, it's probably for good reason."

He wasn't stupid enough to think that Lara had put it out of her head, but he did trust her to keep her promise that she wouldn't ask him about it.

He was truly glad when the Doctor woke up. As Auron had predicted, the Doctor's wounds had almost completely healed by the third day, and he was agitated to leave. "But first, you must see the Farplane as it's supposed to be," he added.

The Doctor POV

The Doctor wasn't sure what he had said, or done, while possessed… but he was glad it was over. The Farplane had returned to its former glory. The stairway was full of singing, and he watched as Billy and Lara did the proper amount of staring in wonder at the beautiful sight.

At the top of the stairs, the three were met with thousands of pyreflies, blue, yellow, green and purple. Lara and Billy split off from the Doctor after seeing their loved ones that had passed on. The Doctor recognized one of them as Lara's grandfather.

Once again, the Doctor was faced with the beautiful visage of Rose. He missed her so, so much. He felt a tear slide down his cheek.

Once again, the pyreflies spoke to him. This time, the pyreflies spoke in Rose's voice. "Because you helped us, we will speak to you once again. Do you want to know what happened to Rose?"

"Yes," the Doctor said, feeling another tear slide down his cheek. "She should be alive, though. She shouldn't be here…"

The figure of Rose shook her head. "She is dead according to this universe, and your timeline with her has ended. Therefore, she is here. But there is another answer you seek, I think."

"Lara… Lara Nelson," the Doctor said. "Where did she come from? Is she Gallifreyan? How is she here?"

"We cannot see that which occurs in the world of the living. Isn't there a place you can go to find this information?"

The Doctor shook his head. "The records of the Time Lords were destroyed with Gallifrey. Except in the… the library!" It hit him like a ton of bricks. How could he have been so stupid? The Vashta Nerada had destroyed the library… but as long as he arrived in the time before the Vashta Nerada he should be able to gather at least some information.

"Good!" Rose said, smiling her tongue-touched smile once more. He looked at her one last time, and a final tear slid down his face.

"Doctor?" Rose asked.

"Yeah?"

"Don't be afraid to open your heart again."


	13. Chapter 12: Silence in the Library

Authors' Note: I'm nearing the end of this story. I'm not sure if I want to continue it in this story or start a "sequel", so review and let me know. Thank you for your reviews, they make me happy.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Doctor Who universe, because if I did, David Tennant would be mine, but only on days that end with a "Y."

Chapter Twelve: Silence in the Library

 **Lara POV**

"Before it got destroyed, it was beautiful!" the Doctor was explaining. It had been a month since the Beast incident, and Lara realized that, in her timeline, it had been almost a year since she had begun travelling with the Doctor.

It had been a wonderful year, full of non-stop adventure, and running, and beautiful sights, and more running. During the weekdays, Lara and Billy worked their day jobs, awaiting the weekend. Their weekends were spent with the Doctor, on fantastic adventures. And this one started no different.

"It's a whole world! A whole world of books! I've only visited there six times, and I should be arriving a few days after the very last time I visited. Or maybe a year, I'm not sure. But either way, we'll certainly arrive before the Vashta Nerada."

Lara wasn't sure who the Vashta Nerada were, but if the Doctor didn't want to fight to save the library from them, she decided she didn't want to find out.

After landing in the Library, before walking out the TARDIS doors, the Doctor looked out of the window. Whatever he saw seemed to relieve him because he then swung the door open wide. "People!" he exclaimed in a booming voice. "Real, chattering, beautiful people!" Lara looked at Billy, who rolled his eyes, and the three adventurers headed out into the Library.

 **The Doctor POV**

"Can I check this out?" the Doctor asked the lady at the front desk. She gave him a smug look, which the Doctor thought odd on a librarian. She wore an eye patch, which he also thought odd.

"Yes," she said, "but be sure to bring them back after two weeks, Library time. Do you need assistance converting the times from your home planet?"

"No, I can manage," he responded. He had managed to separate himself from Lara and Billy by waiting until Lara became engaged in 28th century psychology books and then stating that he had "seen an old friend." Still, he didn't want to leave them for long. He had the strangest feeling that he was being watched, and it was making him wary.

Still, the Doctor's trip had been successful. He had managed to find every book the library owned on Gallifreyans through the ages and Gallifreyan history, which were (unsurprisingly) a very few number. It was a long shot to even think that something in these books would help him piece together Lara's identity, but it was the only plan he had.

"Excellent!" the librarian said, again shooting him a smug smile. "Have a nice day!"

As he turned to leave, however, he was suddenly faced with three of the strangest creatures. They looked like the ghoul in the "Mona Lisa", but were wearing suits. They had fathomless black eyes and grey skin, and looked sinister.

"Well hello," the Doctor said.

"You're coming with usssss," the creature in front said, taking him by the arm. It had a surprisingly strong grip.

 **Lara POV**

Lara was beginning to get worried. It had been four hours, and the Doctor had not returned. She was far from bored, of course, with psychology books from the future on her right side and old books that she hadn't seen since her childhood on the other. Billy was halfway through a manual on the creation and maintenance of giant robots, and had barely spoken a word for hours. Still, it was odd that the Doctor had not returned with his usual animated conversation. Usually he was eager to show them all of the best tourist spots on new planets.

Finally, after four and a half hours, a young woman with an eye patch found them. "Are you the companions of the Doctor?" she asked seriously. She had short brown hair and a smile that did not reach her visible eye.

"Depends who's asking," Billy said slowly.

"He's asked me to come get you," she said sweetly. "He got involved in some local stuff. Follow me?"

Lara knew it was a trap, of course. Still, what choice did she have? The Doctor was in trouble, that much was already obvious. Billy raised an eyebrow at her, and she shrugged, shooting him a worried look.

The eye patch woman led them through several rooms in the library before finally reaching a passageway in the very back. After this point, walls, floors, and ceiling were a dingy grey. Lara only realized that she and Billy had been led into a jail cell when the bars shot out of the ceiling and floor, entrapping them in a small corner. The bars were not metal, but seemed to be made of yellow lazers.

"These jail cells are species-specific," the eye-patch lady told them. She was smiling, as though she had just informed them of a new technological upgrade to a cell phone. "If you try to leave, they will burn you. You can use a finger to try, if you get bored."

Lara wasn't listening. She began to search in her pocket for the Rose Serum that she needed to calm down. She could feel the panic attack coming on.

"Why are we here?" Billy yelled angrily. "The Doctor won't come for us! He'll leave us here. It was his plan anyway."

Lara realized with a flash of fear that she'd left the Rose Serum back in the TARDIS. How could she have done something so stupid?

"We both know you're bluffing," the eye patch lady told Billy with a leveling stare. "He's been fretting about you all afternoon in his torture chamber. We already have him, you see."

Billy shot Lara a look of horror, but she was too busy frantically searching her small purse.

"Then why lock us up?" Billy asked the eye patch lady.

The look she gave him stated that she thought this should have been obvious. "Any companions of the Doctor cannot be allowed to live," she said. "Settle your affairs tonight. I assume you have loved ones at home? Our information says you are from 21st century Earth, so no one will try to rescue you. You will be allowed 60 seconds each to say your good-byes before your signal will be remotely disconnected, as agreed by the Proclamation of Interspecies Parlay."

Lara gave up her frantic search of her purse long enough to ask furiously, "What do you want with the Doctor?"

"That information is held strictly on a need-to-know basis," the eye patch lady said. "Anyway, I'll leave you to your last affairs." And with that, the eye patch lady walked swiftly out of the room.

Suddenly, the room was silent. "Well, I guess we might as well see if she's bluffing," Billy said, staring at the bars.

"Bluffing?" Lara said absently, still rummaging through her purse for the Rose Serum. Her pulse was racing now, and the panic attack had gotten out of control. "Bluff-… Billy, no! She said it'll burn you! Damn it! Wait!"

Billy took off his jacket and tossed it haphazardly on the small cot that was placed in the corner of the room. "Look, don't worry, I'm just going to stick the tip of my shoe through, I promise. Worst thing that can happen is I'll burn my toe a little bit." Billy began to closely investigate the narrow bars, seemingly trying to decide if they had a weak spot.

"Look, just wait a second, okay? Hold on, don't you always keep extra Rose Serum in your jacket-…"

"Wha-… NO!"

Billy dove across the room, but it was too late: the pocket watch tumbled out of Lara's jacket and onto the floor. "Don't-…"

But it was too late. As if in slow motion, Lara picked up the watch, and opened it.


	14. Chapter 13: Gallifreyan

Authors' Note: Thank you people sooooooo much for your reviews and follows! It's taken me a year to get to this point between work and school and wedding planning, but it was totally worth it. I will be continuing the story here and not making a separate sequel, as I had previously considered. Keep reviewing and following and favoriting!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Doctor Who universe, because if I did, David Tennant would be mine, but only on days that end with a "Y."

Chapter Thirteen: Gallifreyan

Lara POV

The world stopped moving.

The first thing that Lara noticed was the gold light, all around her.

The second thing Lara noticed was that her senses had changed. She was aware of everything – her breathing, the blood flowing through her body. She didn't have to breathe. That was weird. She could breathe, but she didn't have to. And, she could feel her two hearts.

She was a Time Lady. Somehow, she'd always known.

The third thing Lara noticed was that she no longer needed the Rose Serum. She felt calm. It was weird, feeling calm at a time like this.

The fourth thing Lara noticed was that her brain was working much faster than usual. She had thought through that in about two seconds flat.

The fifth thing Lara noticed was that she now seemed to have an uncanny awareness of time.

So, in conclusion: awareness of body, two hearts, no more panic attacks, quick brain, time awareness.

Yup. Time Lady. Or maybe… Gallifreyan? She couldn't remember anything of her childhood on any planet other than Earth… she'd have to think more about that later.

Moving on. Her brain was moving quickly now… too quickly, like when she was having a panic attack. The difference was that now her brain seemed to be going in a specific direction, whereas during a panic attack it just ran around in circles. "The bars are species-specific," she said, looking quickly at Billy. A look of horror was frozen on his face. She ignored it; first, she had to get him and the Doctor to safety.

"I can get through them." She stepped through the bars, not daring to look back at Billy except to ensure that he hadn't followed. He hadn't.

Lara vaguely remembered that the eye patch lady had activated the bars using a contraption in the corner. (Apparently she had an eidetic memory. That was weird.) The contraption looked a bit like an old and worn-out fuse-box. Without thinking, Lara turned off all of the switches in the fuse box contraption, then ran back over to Billy. (She was faster than usual. That was weird.)

Lara grabbed Billy's hand, but let go quickly when she felt the rush of fear from his mind. It made her sick, and for a moment she felt as though she was going to pass out. She could feel emotions now. That was weird. She didn't like it. Instead, she grabbed onto Billy's arm and hauled him to his feet, still not daring to look at him.

As Lara and Billy ran out into the grey, dingy hallway, they almost collided with the Doctor. Lara could tell that the Doctor had known exactly what had happened to her by the way he looked at her – part horror, part pity, and part fear. It also did not escape her notice that rather than taking her hand as he usually did, he grabbed onto her sleeve, as she had with Billy. "They're right behind us!" the Doctor yelled, and, sure enough, Lara could hear yelling and a strange rattling, hissing sound coming from down the hallway.

The Doctor, Lara, and Billy ran quickly through the halls of the library until finally the TARDIS was in sight. The Doctor snapped his fingers, and the three of them dove for the TARDIS, the doors shutting behind them. The Doctor began making adjustments to the console, frantically turning levels and dials.

Lara looked at Billy carefully, for only the second time since she had changed. ( _Changed? Is that what happened?_ ) He looked at her again with a mixture of fear and what could only have been identified as hurt.

Instinctively, and without thinking, she reached her fingers to his forehead. He flinched, but did not retreat as she sent him a wave of love, and, also, of guilt. "I'm sorry," she said, and slumped forward into his arms, unconscious.

***Doctor Who***

Billy POV

Billy was scared. He was really, truly, properly terrified. He and Lara had been traveling with the Doctor for a year, now, and the only time he could remember ever being this scared was when he had first met the Doctor. No… scratch that. He'd never, _ever_ been this scared.

To make matters worse, Lara had fallen unconscious in his arms, though he could tell she was still breathing. When he looked up to ask for advice, he found that the Doctor was glowering at him.

Billy had seen the Doctor angry before, but never this angry, and certainly never at him. He understood, now, why the Doctor's enemies called him the "On-Coming Storm." When he spoke, his words were like thunder. "I _told_ you," he roared, "Not. To. Open. The watch."

Billy felt his anger flare. "You made her like you. Why did you make her like you? Turn her back!" But the Doctor had already slammed the door with a loud _BANG_! and disappeared into the depths of the TARDIS.

The Doctor POV

 _"_ _You made her like you! Why did you make her like you? Turn her back!"_ The Doctor paced across his bedroom, which he had silently asked the TARDIS to hide in the depths of her corridors. He would've preferred the console room where he could tinker with the TARDIS' inner workings, maybe fix the power couplings. Still, he had a feeling that maintenance right now would not bode well for the TARDIS in the long-term.

Who was she? There were whispers, rumors, that a Time Lord and Time Lady called the Rapscallion and the Patient had managed to create a natural-born Gallifreyan near the ends of the universe, but it had never been confirmed. Was this that natural-born child? Had one of the care-takers in a Gallifreyan House sent a child off into space with a chameleon arch when the Time War turned ugly?

What would he tell Billy? Eventually he would need to run scans on Lara, though he knew the TARDIS would take care of her for him. Even worse, what would he tell Lara? She must know by now. She must understand…

The TARDIS entered his mind then, smugly showing him a picture of himself and Lara holding hands. "It doesn't work like that!" he screamed angrily at his ship, stomping his foot impatiently. "She's not just going to go, 'Oh, look, I'm Gallifreyan, let's live happily ever after!' You killed the rest of us, but Allon-sy!"

The TARDIS showed him several pictures in succession then, barely allowing him to look at one before moving onto the next. The first was a picture of Lara and Billy, only Lara looked exactly the same while Billy was weakened with old age. The second was a picture of Lara attending Billy's funeral. The third was a picture of Lara and the Doctor traveling in the TARDIS.

"That simple, is it?" he roared at her. "I don't want this life for her! I never did! The last of your kind is a lonely life, and I'm not yet so lonely that I need to bring someone else down with me! I'll turn the chameleon arch back on, and you can take us back to Earth!"

The TARDIS shot him an affronted feeling, and sent him a picture of himself as a child. She then sent him a picture of the pyreflies in the form of Rose – _Don't be afraid to open your heart again._

"I am not being a child! And leave her out of this!"

The TARDIS sent him back another affronted feeling, as well of a picture of herself shutting down and refusing to move – a threat.

"Now who's acting like a bloody child!" he shouted back at her.

The next picture in his mind was of Jackie Tyler, of all people. "You're throwing a tantrum, but you're just tired," Jackie said, seeming exasperated. "Now, go to sleep."

"Don't-…" but it was too late. He felt the TARDIS abruptly turn off everything in his head, and he slumped over onto his bed, unconscious.

Billy POV

Lara was breathing slowly, and seemed at peace. Billy had taken her into the med bay and hooked her up to the machines that the TARDIS indicated. He had a feeling, though, that the TARDIS was just humoring him and seemed to think there was nothing actually wrong with her. He had asked the TARDIS allowed (several times) to turn Lara back to the way she'd been before this adventure, but with no results.

Lara was indeed Gallifreyan – that much was obvious. He knew that she still loved him – that much had been obvious from her actions and words before she fell unconscious. Still, she had changed. She had two hearts, she was faster now, she was definitely more level-headed, and she seemed to have the ability to transmit feelings… and those changes were only the ones he had noticed in the ten minutes she'd been awake! What would she be like when she woke up?

Billy had almost (but not quite) fallen asleep from exhaustion when he sensed the Doctor behind him. "I'm sorry," he said, coming closer. "I'm so, so sorry."

"What's happened to her?" Billy asked. He didn't seem to be able to manage the anger that he'd had earlier.

"She's Gallifreyan," the Doctor said, slowly.

"You said you were the last one," Billy said, accusatorily.

"I thought I was," the Doctor whispered, looking at Lara wearily. At that moment, Billy thought that the Doctor looked ancient. He was young in body, but Billy could see in the Doctor's eyes that he had seen thousands of years go by. "I never wanted this life for Lara."

"Then change her back to being human! You made her Gallifreyan, turn her back!"

The Doctor looked hurt. "I didn't do this. This… this is who she really is. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Why should I believe you?"

"You had the watch long before you got on the TARDIS. You said Lara had had it forever. It's lucky, perhaps, that I found it when I did, or this may have happened sooner. The perception filter stopped working on Quitessia."

Billy looked for a way to argue with the Doctor's logic, and, feeling defeated, realized that he could not. "How…"

"I'm not sure. Was Lara adopted?"

"No," Billy said quietly.

The Doctor shook his head. "That's odd. Anyway… someone worked very hard to hide her from the other Time Lords and ensure her survival."

"That watch…" Billy said, shooting it a look of disgust. It was hanging off of a night stand, where Billy had tossed it haphazardly. He'd tossed it perhaps a little too forcefully, and the glass had cracked. "How does it work?"

"It's called a chameleon arch," the Doctor said. "In times of great danger, it can hold the essence of a Time Lord until help arrives. It masks their true identity, so that even they think they're human."

"So she was never really… human?" Billy met the Doctor's eyes for the first time, feeling hopeless.

"I'm afraid not."

Now it was time for the million-dollar question. "What… what will she be like when she wakes up?" Billy looked away from the Doctor again, embarrassed.

"Difficult to say," the Doctor said. "I did the same thing for awhile once, masqueraded as human. And from that experience, my guess would be that she's not all that different, at least in her base personality. The TARDIS says she's on her first regeneration," he added, gesturing to the screen, "which means she'll have few, if any, past memories from her Gallifreyan life. So… the girl you knew, is still the girl that will wake up."

Billy decided to gloss over the comments about "regeneration" and instead ask, "So she will wake up?"

The Doctor smiled, the first smile he'd given since arriving in the Library. "Oh yes! Yes, she'll wake up. She's been through a lot in the past day. But I doubt she'll sleep more than another few hours. When she wakes up, she'll be pretty much the same girl you knew."

Billy let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding as he felt a huge weight leave his shoulders. Now, he could handle anything. As long as she was mostly the same, he could handle anything. "What will be different about her?"

The Doctor had obviously been expecting the question. "It's difficult to say," he said. "She'll be stronger, faster, and quicker on her feet. She'll be able to regulate her own temperature, and her body functions. She won't need to wear a coat in the winter, and won't need to go to the bathroom as much."

Billy felt himself smile. "She never wears a coat anyway, and I can't say the bathroom thing will be so bad."

The Doctor laughed quickly, then became serious. "I can turn her back, if you like."

Billy looked at the Doctor again, surprised. "I thought you said…"

"I can do the same thing," he answered. "Use the same watch, even. Mask her essence, for awhile."

Billy thought for a second, then said slowly. "But she'd still actually be Gallifreyan."

It wasn't a question, but the Doctor answered it anyway. "Yes. You'd need to keep it a secret from her for the new perception filter to work."

Slowly and resolutely, Billy shook his head. "That won't work. When she did eventually find out, she'd never forgive me."

The Doctor laughed, though the smile didn't meet his eyes. "I suppose you're right about that," he said.

After that, the two were silent for some time, both keeping watch on Lara.

Billy had just begun to dose off when he saw Lara stir. She was awake!


	15. Chapter 14: Unprepared

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Doctor Who universe, because if I did, David Tennant would be mine, but only on days that end with a "Y."

Chapter 14: Unprepared

 **Lara POV**

Lara felt as though she had slept for ages; in fact, it felt like the first time she'd ever really awoken. Rather than her senses being dulled and rusty, she could sense everything around her even before she opened her eyes. She was Gallifreyan. Awareness of body, two hearts, no more panic attacks, quick brain, time awareness, eidetic memory, faster than usual, telepathic. _Jesus, Billy must be terrified._

Sure enough, Lara was unsurprised to find Billy's eyes boring into hers when she finally opened them. She reached up to touch his face, and he flinched back, then looked apologetic.

"Hey," she said softly, "I'm the same woman, mostly. I love you."

"Don't try to use your telepathy again," the Doctor said, cutting short the long-overdue reunion as Lara reached for Billy's temples. "I'm sorry, but you're too new at being telepathic. Until you get the hang of it, it could do more damage than good."

"You can tell what I'm thinking when you touch me?" Billy asked.

Lara realized that she wasn't quite sure how this worked.

The Doctor interjected, "Eventually, if you insist on remaining Gallifreyan, you'll be able to read each others' thoughts when you're touching, particularly when you touch each others' temples. You may be able to sense feelings when you're not touching, too… but only if and when you want to."

Lara's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean 'if I insist on remaining Gallifreyan?'"

The Doctor looked sheepish. "Well, I mean, we could use the same watch if you like. You could go back in the chameleon arch, you know, turn human again, and live out your human life-…"

But he stopped, because Lara had stared daggers at him and then flopped back on the medical bed emphatically. "Yeah, nope, not going to happen." Lara was surprised how quickly she was able to make decisions now. With her human body, she would've agonized about a decision like this for at least a week. "Look, I like being Gallifreyan. I'm faster, stronger, and I feel healthier. And, I haven't even had a chance to try out my telepathy yet! Plus, if I go back to being human, I lose all knowledge of my Gallifreyan roots."

At these words the Doctor's mouth set itself in a line. Lara could tell he was working himself into "On-coming Storm" mode, though she wasn't sure why. She tried a different tact. "Listen, I can leave if you'd like, you won't even have to deal with me being Gallifreyan. If you don't want me as a companion anymore, just say so. Just give me a couple of tips for the whole telepathy thing, and I'll be off."

But it was too late. _SLAM_! For the second time, the door to the TARDIS shut closed, and the Doctor had disappeared into the bowels of his ship.

Lara realized too late that she may have been too blunt with the discussion of telepathy. She had thought he'd be happy to no longer be the only Gallifreyan in the universe, but somehow she seemed to have made a mis-step. Was he angry because he thought she wasn't good enough to be Gallifreyan? Surely that must be it. She was a baby, in his mind. He didn't have the time to be teaching babies how to talk, so to speak. The TARDIS gave a very negative noise in Lara's head, and she knew that this wasn't the answer to the riddle the Doctor had presented.

Still, she had other concerns. "I'm still the same person," she said, looking into Billy's face.

"You're Gallifreyan," Billy responded hollowly.

"I don't remember anything except my human life," she replied.

"How is this possible?"

"I don't know," Lara said gently, "but we'll figure it out. In the meantime, though, I have all of the same memories, the same feelings, and the same love for you."

"So… what's different?" Billy looked like he'd been scared to ask.

Lara considered the question. "I'm stronger. I'm faster. I don't have to breathe, or at least not as often, which is really weird, by the way. My senses are much sharper. Like, I can smell what you ate last, and I can see details I never noticed before. I have two hearts. And, I can think faster."

"So…" Billy paused, trying to process. "You were already out of my league." Now he looked glum. "Now you're even farther away from me. I can never deserve you, never keep up with you."

Lara rolled her eyes. Seriously, this sort of conversation had been bad enough when she was human. "I don't love you because you're strong, fast, and think quickly. I love you because you're kind, and compassionate, and intuitive, and have similar beliefs and values, and you're good in bed, and you're hot, and you keep me safe and grounded in reality. And none of that is changed by me being Gallifreyan."

Billy smiled wanly, but it was his first real smile in several hours. "So we'll still be able to…"

"Have sex? Yup! I can't wait to try that out with my new senses!"

Billy still looked dubious. "But the long life span… the Doctor is over 900 years old!"

Lara frowned. "Well, I honestly haven't thought much about that. But Billy, me being Gallifreyan may give me a long lifespan, and I don't know what I'll do after you… after you pass." Lara looked at him sadly, before carrying on determinedly. "But I've got your whole lifetime to figure that out. And I'm sure as hell going to spend all the time with you that I can!"

Billy full-on kissed her, then, and the taste of his mouth exploded on her tongue, so very human, and familiar. She felt a strong urge to connect with his mind again, and sloppily pushed his mouth away and hugged him instead. She loved him so much and, Gallifreyan or no, she needed this warm familiarity in the face of all of the changes. Her telepathy would come with time.

Doctor POV

The Doctor was furious. Did she have any idea what she was asking?! Teach her how to be Gallifreyan?! That was… he couldn't… even if he wanted…

He considered his options. The most favorable option was to do what she'd asked and teach her how to be Gallifreyan, or more specifically, how to use her telepathy. At this thought, he felt briefly as though the Beast were still in his head taunting him, and had a sudden urge to shake himself. Seeing as this option made him feel guilty for even thinking about it, he moved on. He was pacing around his room, and he was sure he was wearing holes in the carpet.

The most logical option was to continue to travel with Lara until she gave in to his convincing arguments to use the chameleon arch and become human again. He could wipe the last 24 hours (and the knowledge that Lara was Gallifreyan) from Billy's mind if he needed to; then Billy would be on his side about the issue. This would, ultimately, be the option he attempted.

But what if Lara still refused to use the chameleon arch? He could never force her to undergo the process of becoming human again against her will.

He could always let her attempt to figure out the nuances of telepathy for herself. Although, truthfully, she'd been lucky she hadn't hurt Billy or herself with as much as she'd dabbled in her telepathy already. Humans like Billy were far too fragile to be on the receiving end of the experimental telepathy of new Gallifreyans, even those as brilliant as Lara. So, that wasn't an option.

He returned back to the "convince Lara to use the chameleon arch" option.

And if she _still_ never agreed?

Well, that wasn't an option. He just simply wouldn't stand for it. Really, he just needed more time. Just a little more time.

Resolutely, the Doctor returned to the couple in the console room. "Lara, I know a perfect planet for us to visit with your new Gallifreyan senses! 'Blew my mind the first time I went there with this body and my new sharp taste buds! They have 10,000 different forms of chocolate and they all taste different-…"

Billy and Lara looked tired, but happy. The Doctor could sense that some sort of interaction had taken place after he had left the room, as Lara and Billy both appeared more at peace. "Actually I'd really like to go back to my Earth-life, if that's okay. I mean, not permanently, just… like we've been doing. You know, one adventure a week? It's just… I need some down time. Is that okay?"

No. No, it was not okay. Now that she was Gallifreyan, without telepathic contact and away from the TARDIS, she would barely last the day without a screaming headache. He had a lot more experience with both telepathy and the lack of it, and even so he relied on the TARDIS to calm his empty head far more than he was willing to admit. He was running out of time, specifically the time to convince Lara to use the chameleon arch to become human again. It occurred to him, not for the first time, that running out of time was ironic for a Time Lord.

"I need to watch you for awhile," the Doctor said, thinking quickly. "You're still awfully new at everything. Just take some down time on the TARDIS."

Lara nodded slowly. "Okay, I guess. Maybe I just need to lie down. I've got an awful headache. Can I take Ibruprofin to get rid of it, or is there something else I should take now that I'm Gallifreyan?"

She had the headache _already?!_ Apparently time had run out. The Doctor's hearts leapt, and his throat went dry. He was _so_ not prepared for this. "Hold on, I'll go look for something you can take!" he said, and disappeared quickly back into the depths of his ship.


	16. Chapter 15: The Mind of the Doctor

I don't own Doctor who or David Tennant, but it'd be great if I did.

Chapter 15: The Mind of the Doctor

Doctor POV

In his second incarnation, the Doctor had been forced to read the mind of a man who had been about to cheat on his wife with a young secretary, his first and only transgression in 20 years of marriage. (Both the secretary and the wife had been Zygons. There was a lizard involved. It was a long story.) The Doctor still remembered how much the man wanted the secretary – was in love with her, even – but felt overwhelmingly guilty at the same time.

Lara could never understand that, for the Doctor, the opportunity to go into her mind was like dangling a huge piece of cake in front of a starving man. How long had it been since he had connected with someone telepathically? There was Reinette, but of course that had been only a distraction from Rose (which, of course, had failed epically). Aside from that, his mind had been vacant since the Time War, aside from a few trips to the telepathic planet of Calatopia. Calatopia was good just for him to remember what it felt like to not be completely and utterly lonely… but he had to be careful, even on Calatopia, should he be recognized as a Time Lord.

Going into the mind of another Gallifreyan was something the Doctor had never thought he'd have the opportunity to do again. After the Time War, it had taken quite a long time before he was able to survive more than a few days away from the sanctuary that the TARDIS provided in his mind. She was not another Gallifreyan, but she did provide him with enough company in his mind to ease the otherwise throbbing pain to a dull itch, like a stiff neck.

"Why can't you ease her pain?" the Doctor said irritably at his ship.

The Doctor sent him a flash of pictures that made the answer clear: _She's not connecting with me. You told her not to use her telepathy, remember?_ Again, the TARDIS sent him a picture of Rose on the Farplane: _Don't be afraid to open your heart again._

"My heart and my mind are completely different!" the Doctor snapped. "You know what I was like after the Time War. Lara will go swanning off with Billy to live her human life – or Gallifreyan life, or whatever – and I'll be stuck here being severed from telepathic connection _again_."

Again, a long flash of pictures: Lara still young while Billy was old, Lara attending Billy's funeral, Lara and the Doctor hand in hand. The Doctor's hearts gave a jolt, but he sent the TARDIS a mental scream of frustration. "Never! How could I possibly subject her to this life? Most days _I_ don't even want to live my life!"

The TARDIS tried a different tact, and showed him what was currently occurring in the console room. "It hurts!" Lara was saying to Billy, holding her head. "Look, I know he said I'm not supposed to use my telepathy, but I think that's what's causing it…" She rolled over in Billy's lap, her eyes wrinkled in pain, and the Doctor saw a single tear fall down her cheek.

The Doctor wondered if this was what it was like for humans with a drug addiction. He let out several long swear words in Gallifreyan, and headed back to the console room.

***Doctor Who***

"Doctor!" Lara cried as the Doctor re-entered the console room. "It hurts!"

"I know," he said, "I'm sorry I took so long."

He leveled the couple with a stare. "The easiest way to make it go away would be to turn you human again. It would only take me a couple of minutes to get the chameleon arch started and connect-…"

"DOCTOR!" both Lara and Billy shouted.

It had been worth a shot. The Doctor sighed. He supposed he could enjoy some small relief; the chameleon arch, he knew from experience, was extremely painful. "Lara, you have a headache because your mind is reaching out, and you're blocking the signal. You need to connect to another mind. But you can't connect to Billy, not right now. He's human, and you haven't learned to control it yet. You could overwhelm his mind, even kill him, if you're not careful."

The Doctor turned to Billy. "I'm going to have to form at least a temporary mental connection with her. Your connection will ultimately be much deeper, but I have to show her how to use her telepathy without hurting you. But I won't do it without your permission."

Billy's mouth was set in a line. "Do it."

Lara looked up at the Doctor, a plea in her eyes.

The Doctor swallowed hard. He knew what Lara needed, what they both needed. "You can't hurt me," he told her gently. "You can make the connection."

He had barely finished his sentence when Lara's fingers connected with his temples. It felt like his mind, dry and barren from lack of contact, suddenly lit up like a siren. He had always imagined his mind was like a long hallway, full of deep mahogany wood doors. For years now, cobwebs had been developing in the hallways. The floor had started to creak, and everything had gone dark.

Now, it was as though a gust of wind and blinding light had suddenly lit up the hallway. The doors remained closed, but only barely – it felt like she was trying to blast them off the hinges! On and on it went, like an onslaught – flashes of childhood, pain, Billy, pain, love, pain, ordinary moments of life, pain, traveling in the TARDIS, relief.

" _Calm down!"_ He instructed her. _"Try to pull back a little bit, but don't disconnect. Imagine yourself inside my mind. You can imagine your physical being, if you want."_

Slowly, and with what seemed like great effort, the onslaught gradually wound to a close. Lara materialized in the mahogany hallway, now cobweb-free and shining, but not overly so. It occurred to him that he hadn't felt this good in a long time, but he shut that thought behind one of the mahogany doors before Lara could sense it. He had the advantage here – he knew she was too inexperienced with telepathy to see anything he didn't want her to see, but that he would be able to see nearly everything if he went into her mind.

The Doctor formed a vision of himself in the mahogany hallway of his mind, leaning against a doorway and smiling.

" _Sorry,"_ Lara said sheepishly inside his mind, " _I know that was rough. I guess that's why you didn't want me to connect with Billy yet."_

" _Fortunately you followed my instructions for once_ ," he answered, smiling at her.

 _"_ _Is it always like that, for new Gallifreyans, or am I just bad at it?"_

 _"_ _Well, I honestly haven't worked with a lot of new Gallifreyans, but age aside you seem to have extraordinarily powerful telepathy,"_ he said.

 _"_ _I do?"_

 _"_ _Once you have a little more practice, your telepathy will be even more powerful than mine."_ He couldn't control the wave of pride and affection that he sent to her then.

 _"_ _So how does this work exactly?"_ Lara asked him.

 _"_ _When you connect with another being for the first time, there's always a bit of an onslaught if you don't control it,"_ the Doctor said, " _Which is why, since you'll be connecting mostly with humans, it's of the utmost importance that you_ do _control it. Just brace yourself before you enter the mind of another person for the first time, and force yourself to take this form instead of bursting in."_

 _"_ _Sorry_ ," Lara said again.

 _"_ _It's alright, I expected it. Before you try with Billy, I'll have you disconnect and then connect with me a few more times so you can get used to it. Eventually, though, if you take Billy as your bondmate, you won't have to spend so much effort controlling it. His mind will naturally become more able, and your mind will automatically meet him halfway."_

 _"_ _Bondmate?"_

 _"_ _It's like marriage for my people,"_ he said, adding, " _our people. Gallifreyans."_ He thought briefly of an orange sky, and then once again shoved the thought quickly behind a door.

 _"_ _Most of the time you can connect and disconnect from the minds of others when and if you choose,"_ he went on, _"but it's different with a bondmate. Even when you're not directly connected to each others' minds, you'll have enhanced awareness of each other. You'll be able to tell what Billy is feeling – if he's angry, or happy, or sad – and even send him messages without touching if you concentrate on it. But it's a permanent bond, literally until death do you part. When one of you dies, it'll be physically painful for the other one for quite some time."_

 _"_ _How did you survive it?"_ Lara asked immediately, then cut herself off. " _Um, sorry. I guess I don't have any mental filter."_

" _That'll come with time,"_ the Doctor told her, ignoring both the question and her flash of annoyance that he had ignored her question.

 _"_ _This is my mind,"_ the Doctor continued, " _or at least a physical manifestation of it, which is easier to understand."_

 _"_ _What are all the doors?"_ Lara asked, though the Doctor sensed that she already knew.

He sighed. " _Stuff I keep locked away,"_ he said, looking at her sadly. " _I'm sure you don't want me to see everything in your mind, either."_

At these words the Doctor could feel Lara's anxiety, confusion, and even a little hurt, but she caught herself and halted the transmission.

" _Look, you're developing a mental filter,"_ he said, smirking. She glared at him.


	17. Chapter 16: The Mind of Lara

Author's Note: I don't own Doctor Who, but it'd be awesome-sauce if I owned David Tennant. My new husband looks a lot like him, though. I just got lucky with that one. Thanks for continued reviews and love.

Chapter 16: The Mind of Lara

Lara POV

Being inside the Doctors' mind was incredible. Lara had never had an experience like this before. Walking around in his mind was quite possibly the best experience she had ever had, or, at least, in the Top 10. She could tell that the Doctor was enjoying the experience, but she wasn't sure how much. She had a distinct feeling, however, that this was one of the subjects he kept hidden behind one of the many shut doors. She felt a little insulted that he'd barely even let her in the _lobby_ of his mind, but she tamped down on the feeling again almost before he could sense it. She was getting better at that.

 _"_ _There's one more thing I need to teach you,"_ the Doctor said. " _Then you should be able to form enough of a connection with Billy to survive without getting the headaches."_

 _"_ _You're not going to connect with me again?"_ Lara asked, once again scrambling to hide the hurt.

 _"_ _I don't think that would be wise,"_ he said cryptically.

" _Why not?"_ she challenged him.

" _I think this should be something you do with Billy_ ," he said, firmly.

" _Oh._ _Okay."_ She felt stupid. She should've realized this was more intimacy than he wanted. She thought about the implications of intimacy with the Doctor, and (for once) managed to hide her train of thought from him before he caught onto it.

Doctor POV

 _"_ _We need to go into your mind,"_ the Doctor said, quickly changing the subject of conversation. " _I want you to imagine your mind as a hallway, like mine is, but you can put your own personal touches on it. Anything that you don't want me to see, you can shut behind a door."_

Before he had finished talking, the scene around them was already disappearing. The scene that unfolded instead was unlike anything the Doctor had ever seen before. Lara's mind was more complex than any Gallifreyan the Doctor had ever known. It was a large wood, interspersed with trees of all kinds and colors, as well as large rock formations and waterfalls. It reminded the Doctor of the city of Rivendell in the _Lord of the Rings_ movies, which, of course, was based on the actual city of Rivendell on the planet of Forestfall. The only difference was that it was more comfortable and less epic.

Despite the natural scenery, Lara's mind felt far too organized to really be a work of nature. Upon closer inspection, not a flower was out of place, and there wasn't a weed in sight. Even the vines seemed perfectly placed, as though they wouldn't dare grow in a direction that Lara didn't approve of. The doors (most of them rounded and built into the rock walls) were all labeled in elaborate cursive. The Doctor caught names like "Dad" and "Work".

Though the scenery was beautiful, Lara was, as the Doctor had expected, inexperienced at keeping the innerworkings of her mind hidden. Doors that had previously been left open were frantically swinging shut. Lara was looking around nervously, making sure all entrances were closed.

Suddenly the door next to the Doctor caught his eye. It said "Doctor" on it in perfect cursive, and was left halfway open. Behind the door, the Doctor glimpsed, for the first time, the way Lara saw him. She saw him as wondrous – way out of reach, but perfect, and attractive – distant, but she could love him, if she didn't have Billy, and if he would allow-…"

The door swung shut in the Doctor's face suddenly, and with it the scenery changed. The inner-workings of Lara's mind seemed to collapse in on themselves, and suddenly the Doctor and Lara were left in a space much smaller than the original. Though the scenery was still beautiful, full of rock formations and waterfalls, the doors had all disappeared save for one. This door was labeled "Everything", and seemed to be triple-locked.

The Doctor laughed, embarrassed. " _You're getting the hang of this_ ," he said.

" _You didn't see that,"_ she said, staring at him coldly.

" _It's no matter,"_ he said. " _I am rather brilliant. Lara, everyone knows you love Billy_."

Lara eyed him carefully, then decided to let it go.

" _You're picking this up very quickly,"_ the Doctor said. " _I'm going to disconnect and then connect with you again to make sure you can do it without the sensory overload. Then I'm going to turn you over to Billy."_

When the Doctor connected for the second and last time, he made sure to memorize every nuance of Lara's mind, and of Lara in his mind. He doubted he had ever felt anything so amazing, and he knew he would miss the contact of Lara's mind for far longer than she would miss his. It was sweet bliss, like drowning in a river of chocolate. But it was not his to explore.

After they disconnected for the final time, the Doctor said his good-byes to Billy and Lara, promising (as usual) to pick them up for another adventure in a weeks' time. Lara hugged the Doctor, as usual, carefully avoiding touching any skin, and he did the same to her.

It was going to be a lonely week.

***Doctor Who***

Lara POV

Over the next three months, Lara made a list of the ways in which, as a Gallifreyan, she was different from before. Although Lara could keep the list in her head, the physical form of the list seemed to help Billy, so she made that as well.

1\. Respiratory bypass. Very weird. Sometimes during kissing or holding her breath, Lara felt that she should breathe but realized she didn't have to.

2\. Faster thinking. This was helpful at work, mostly. She was able to write notes and listen to a client talk, and she wasn't always writing notes about what the client was talking about. Billy said that she listened better, and her driving was better as well. She was still always on the go, however, so the "ADHD" side of her personality hadn't escaped entirely with her change to Gallifreyan. It was one of those "all of the perks and none of the downfalls" types of situations.

3\. Better taste. Lara could take or leave this change, depending on what she was tasting. She had been afraid that, now that she was Gallifreyan, she would have an uncontrollable urge to taste everything like the Doctor. She was happy to discover this wasn't the case.

4\. Better sight. Explaining the loss of her glasses was a little difficult. She told people she switched to contacts for awhile. Eventually, however, she took a vacation from work, and told everyone she'd gotten lazer eye surgery when she returned.

5\. Better hearing. This was especially useful. Lara could hear everything, particularly conversations at work that she wasn't meant to hear. She tried her best to not let anyone know about her improved hearing, and use whatever information she gleaned to her benefit.

6\. Body changes. It was about a month before Lara noticed anything changing about her body, and even then it only occurred when Billy pointed it out. Lara had never been fat, but she wasn't skinny either. Over time, however, it became apparent that she was losing weight and gaining more muscle. Her body seemed to be evening out to healthier porportions despite the continuation of her junk food and dairy diet. She lamented that she was still tall and still had fairly wide hips and thighs, but she supposed that being Gallifreyan couldn't solve everything.

7\. No period. This was awesome. The Doctor had said she wouldn't have it for six months. The Doctor had also said that she was "probably infertile." Still, if him saying "you're probably infertile" was anything like him saying "we probably won't have any trouble on this planet," Lara wasn't taking any chances.

8\. Stronger and faster. Lara honestly didn't care about this one way or the other, but she had to admit that it got her and Billy out of a couple of tight spots on their adventures with the Doctor.

The biggest change, however, was the telepathy. It was really quite amazing, once she got the hang of it. Billy was the only person that she shared her telepathy with, as she realized quickly that sharing a mind was addictive. If she went for too long without making a connection with Billy, her head would begin to hurt, and his would as well.

The sex was amazing, as the joining of minds doubled the pleasure. Plus, Lara and Billy's awareness of each other had grown, and they had gained some ability to sense the feelings of the other even when their minds weren't linked. This came in handy on at least one adventure with the Doctor, if not more.

Both Lara and Billy had decided to wait until their wedding night to form the official bond that the Doctor had discussed. They would have their traditional wedding with their friends, which was approaching quickly, followed by an adventure in the TARDIS, where the Doctor would lead them through the bonding ceremony of the Gallifreyans.

The Doctor, fortunately, had become more forthcoming about discussing Gallifreyan-related issues. He seemed to have resigned himself to the fact that Lara wanted to remain Gallifreyan, and therefore was more willing to answer her weekly barrage of questions on the subject. He excitedly explained the nuances of everything from details of Gallifreyan history (which Lara found only slightly more interesting than human history) to the details of Gallifreyan sexual practices (which apparently were also fairly boring).

Unfortunately, despite the Doctor's attempt to appear dedicated on the surface to teaching her about Gallifreyan culture, Lara somehow felt that since her change they could not have been farther apart. He prattled on about Lord Rassilon and taught her the specifics of the Gallifreyan language as though he was explaining to her about a new planet they were to visit, rather than discussing his long-lost language and even old friends. Only the pain in his eyes belied his true feelings about the subject, and Lara thought he looked older than she'd ever seen him before when he discussed these subjects, despite his attempts to appear peppy and energetic.

It also did not escape Lara's notice that the Doctor maintained a very thick wall between the subjects he would discuss and those he would not touch. He easily answered every question about Gallifreyan culture, history, anatomy, or language, and Lara even began to see glimpses of his life before the Time War. He discussed his relationships and adventures with various other Gallifreyans, his time exiled from Gallifrey, and his theft of the TARDIS. He discussed his differing beliefs from those held by Time Lords, who he characterized as pompous and stuffy despite his best efforts. Occasionally he would tell stories about his time in the TARDIS with his grand-daughter Susan, and, even more rarely, mention his other children in passing. He even explained to Lara and Billy about regeneration, an explanation which included a half-hour in-depth analysis of Time Lord superior biology.

"You won't regenerate, though," he told Lara. "Gallifreyans have extraordinarily long life spans, maybe up to 4 or 5 hundred years. Only Time Lords can regenerate, though, and that took at least a century of schooling and a special initiation on Gallifrey. The old Time Lords didn't want just anyone mucking about with time, you see. After schooling was completed, Time Lords would receive the Rassilon Imprimatur, forcibly evolving them and changing their genetic code to creatures of time itself. This genetic code was added to the matrix… sort of like a Time Lord supercomputer."

"So to be a 'proper' Time Lord I'd have to go to school for a hundred years, and then get the Rassilon Imprimatur and have my genetic code put into a supercomputer… basically?"

"That's a grave oversimplification, but yes," the Doctor responded. "And unfortunately-…"

"I know, Doctor. Gallifrey is gone. But you said I could still be a Time Lord."

"There may be other ways," he responded. "But first you have to make sure that's what you really want. And in the meantime, spend the extra time you have while humans are asleep-…"

"I know, I know. Quantum mechanics, Gallifreyan history, and particle physics."

"Exactly."

In contrast, he staunchly refused to answer questions about the Time War. Lara had pressed the subject only three times, and gotten an answer only once. Even then it had taken a run-in with an only partially functioning dalek at the end of the universe to prompt the Doctor to discuss the forbidden subject. "We fought them in the Time War. They're evil, pure evil, if evil were pure. They were created for one purpose, to kill and to destroy. My race fought for the freedom of all races, though by the end they had become almost as bad as the daleks in some ways. Ultimately I made a choice, a choice nobody should have to make, and the daleks are gone now and the Time Lords are too." Lara had learned this much from the TARDIS, but she felt it was a step in the right direction to hear him tell the story.

The other obviously forbidden subjects were anything about her brief mind connection with the Doctor, as well as anything about her future. The first time she brought up one of these subjects, his avoidance of it was so obvious it was almost comical.

"Doesn't it hurt?" she'd asked him when she caught him looking particularly morose one day. "I mean, if I don't connect with Billy for awhile, it hurts. Doesn't it hurt you, to have no connection?"

The Doctor had started in surprise, and said quickly, "I've dealt with it for awhile, doesn't hurt as bad now." His change of topic after that had occurred so abruptly that Lara never dared bring the issue up again so bluntly. She attempted to bring the subject up again five more times in side comments or round-about ways, which got her no farther than her original comment.

Worst of all, his attempts to avoid physical contact with her were borderline fanatic. On their first real adventure after Lara became Gallifreyan, the three of them had landed in a pile when the TARDIS had taken a tumble. The Doctor had jumped up as though burned, jerking away from Lara abruptly. After a week Lara had solid enough barriers in place with her telepathy that she knew she hadn't transmitted anything, so this couldn't have been the problem. Still, she made seven additional attempts to comment to the Doctor that she had control of her telepathy, but the lack of his usual friendly touch continued. Even Billy had noticed, particularly since the Doctor seemed to have no trouble invading Billy's personal space. On one occasion, he had even grabbed a banana out of Billy's hand, and yet he made no effort to steal back his sonic screwdriver after Lara swiped it to see if he would give chase.

Still, despite the changes, Billy, Lara, and the Doctor eventually found a semi-comfortable pattern. Most of the time, it seemed as though nothing had changed now that Lara was Gallifreyan, and only during isolated moments did she feel as though she had somehow lost the Doctor. Still, she never parted from him without his promise that he would return at the designated time a week later, and he never seemed inclined not to return. So, Lara made an attempt to put the issue out of her mind, and instead focused on her new Time Lord scholarly duties.


	18. Chapter 17: The Future Lara

**Author's Note:**

Hello everyone! So I originally started out updating once every month and I've stuck fairly well to that schedule. I've made sure that I never went a month without an update by writing ahead. But I've had a bit more free time now that I'm married & not planning a wedding, so during this Labor Day weekend I'll be posting a chapter a day until I get caught up with myself.

I don't own Doctor Who or anything related, because if I did I'd've asked Davies AND David Tennant to stay and paid them a lot more.

 **Chapter 17: The Future Lara**

Doctor POV

Lara had been Gallifreyan for nearly 3 months now in Earth time, and the Doctor had never been more frustrated. His missions with Lara and Billy were getting more frustrating by the day: Lara had staunchly refused to budge in her dedication to learning Gallifreyan laws and culture, and she continued to attempt to ask him about subjects he would rather not discuss. Billy treated him kindly enough, but when he thought the Doctor wasn't looking his expression often slipped into mild disdain.

Worst, his mind burned for contact with Lara's. In the past, he had often jumped from one adventure with Lara to the next; what was a week for Lara might have been mere hours for him. Now, he took weeks between his scheduled adventures with Lara, if only for his own sanity. What had been three months for Lara had been nearly nine months for the Doctor.

During this time, however, he was not idle. The Doctor had become determined to find out Lara's beginnings. He had spent months following her mother and father as carefully as possible, but come up with no results. Lara's mother, the Doctor learned, was an intelligent woman with an iron will, while her father was really quite a worthless human being. As far as Gallifreyan genetics, however, both were completely unremarkable both before and after Lara's birth.

After that, the Doctor had moved to well-planned interactions with Lara herself as a baby, when he knew she was too young to remember. Even then the FAB watch was with her, however, seemingly ignored by all but always close to her regardless.

Finally, in desperation, the Doctor took the drastic step of planting himself as a government inspector at the hospital where he knew that Lara would be born. The Doctor had never witnessed a human birth before at this close range. While it was fascinating on a scientific level, he thought for the first time that maybe the Gallifreyans had at least gotten one thing right with the whole "looming" thing. Still, the birth was entirely human and there was nothing remarkable about it.

The Doctor had almost given up entirely and had begun to pace around the hospital hallway at 3:00 AM when a voice behind him said, "You're wondering when the FAB watch shows up, aren't you?"

The Doctor turned slowly. The woman had appeared out of nowhere and was strikingly beautiful with raven hair and silver eyes. He knew immediately that it was Lara, in another incarnation. It was impossible to rid himself of the feel of her mind, like a haunting ghost; he would recognize her anywhere. Not only that, but this incarnation of Lara was obviously highly psychically powerful. He could feel her mind reaching toward his, even without physical touch.

Suddenly, the feel of her mind at the edge of his consciousness was yanked back abruptly. "Sorry," said the raven-haired Lara. "I've gotten used to… oh, never mind."

There were so many implications here. Did he share his mind with this future Lara? Were they… did they… but now wasn't the time to focus on this. "What are you doing here?"

The future Lara stared at him fixedly, her silver eyes boring into his. "I should start by explaining that Lara Nelson – the _real_ Lara Nelson, the _human_ Lara Nelson – died about three minutes ago in the Maternity Ward. Do you remember that time you asked me a bunch of questions about my birth, and tried to act nonchalant about it?"

The Doctor remembered this well, as it had occurred that morning.

"I told you that my umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck. They didn't realize it had caused serious complications. There was nothing they could do. Don't worry," the future Lara added, correctly reading the look in his eye, "There was nothing you could've done either."

The Doctor looked at her uncomprehendingly. "And what about the Gallifreyan Lara Nelson?"

"We found her, a few days ago, you and I, in your future and my past. I can't tell you where, or when, or how. She's in a broom closet down the hallway. We can't keep her, obviously. The time line is already set. You have to switch them."

The Doctor looked at Lara skeptically. "Won't the parents realize the baby is different?"

"The two babies are practically identical. Honestly, I don't know what we'd've done if you from the future didn't remember you, now, having this interaction with me. Anyway, you only have a couple of minutes. I – the younger, Gallifreyan version of me – is in the broom cupboard, second door on the left. The first door on the left is the supply closet, and currently the two nurses that are supposed to be watching the Maternity Ward are busy having sex in it, so make sure you go through the second door on the left instead of the first.

"I can't switch the babies, for obvious reasons," the future Lara continued. "We don't even know what will happen if I come into contact with a previous incarnation under the influence of a chameleon arch."

"Why aren't I – the future version of me – here?" the Doctor asked sharply. He knew everything the future Lara was saying to be true, but he still didn't want to believe it. He had a future where he and Lara traveled together, past her current incarnation? Were they bonded? Had he let her become one with him, shared the burden of being the last Gallifreyan in the universe? It was too good to be true, and yet also too horrible. He had wished for it, yes, in his darkest hours, but never actually entertained the thought that this outcome might be in his future. How had this future Lara convinced him to allow her to remain Gallifreyan? Or, perhaps, the future him was still, even now, encouraging her to use the chameleon arch?

"You're still in the same incarnation," Lara answered simply. "You told me if two of you met in the same incarnation, the universe would explode. Since I can't touch myself, and you can't meet up with yourself, we were forced to do the whole 'baby in the broom closet' thing."

Lara was right, and the Doctor knew it. Time Lords always avoided meeting in the same incarnation. Still, it seemed too convenient, too good to be true. Was there something he was missing?

"You – the future you – told me that you would be trying to figure out a way to circumvent this. He said you would be looking for a way to protect me from what you consider to be a burden, this life as the last of your kind. He said to tell you to stop denying what you already know to be true. He said to tell you, 'Don't you think the universe has given us enough bad turns?' It's up to you, Doctor. You can continue to look for a way out of this fate, but we both know you can sense that this is a fixed point. For once, the universe is forcing you to do yourself a favor. We also both know your window of time is running out."

The Doctor was trapped, and he knew it. He could see in his minds' eye the golden strands of possible timelines winding around each other, and he could feel that this was a fixed point. Not switching the babies now would be wrong, at its very core. It was the same feeling he had ignored just before he'd saved Adelaide from death on Mars, or the feeling he got any time he was around Jack Harkness. Lara's face swam into his mind from their discussion that morning as she read to him in the library from a book of Gallifreyan temporal mechanics: _"If time is like a river, fixed points are like the high walls of a canyon cut by the river. The walls shape the river of time, and it is extremely difficult to change a fixed point. It is also highly unwise. Even if one manages to change these fixed points, the universe will ultimately correct itself, often at the detriment of the interfering Time Lord. Interfering with fixed points always exacts a price."_

If he did not switch the babies, the Doctor suspected that the future Lara would still take the dead child in the Maternity Ward and leave. At some point, someone would find the Gallifreyan baby Lara in the broom closet, assume that someone had played a cruel joke, and return the Gallifreyan baby Lara to her place in the Maternity Ward, ensuring the future. This conversation with him was mostly for his benefit, so that he could remember it later. There was no point in not switching the babies now. If he wanted to ensure a different future for Lara, he would have to do it the hard way, back in his own TARDIS with his own timeline.

"I'll switch the babies," he spat out, "but I make my own destiny."

The future Lara nodded. "Give the dead child a proper burial."

The Doctor nodded, and Lara smiled at him. "Stop worrying," she said. "It all turns out okay. There's one other thing he asked me to give you, while I'm at it."

The Doctor knew instantly what the future Lara had planned, but he had no time to stop it. The next instant her lips were on his in a kiss that was quite possibly the best thing he had ever experienced. It was not a long, passionate kiss, though this made it all the more sweet.

The next second, without even touching his temples, Lara had delved into his mind. She was like a whirlwind of light across a black night, like a buffet to a starving man. She no longer assaulted his senses, rather she completed the broken and barren connections and left him glowing with unexplainable happiness. All too soon she had disconnected from him, though his mind still sang. He realized that now that she had grown more psychically experienced, the lingering effects of contact with her mind would last much longer. Then he realized that the future Lara was still staring at him, and he was still gaping at her like a fish.

"Christ, you – the future you – wasn't kidding. You should never let yourself get that lonely, Doctor. You start to do crazy, stupid things." He could tell that she was attempting to be funny, but it was masking genuine concern.

Suddenly he couldn't stand to be around her a moment longer. "Well, looks like I'll be switching some babies," he said. He had meant it to come out condescending, but couldn't seem to manage it.

She smiled brightly at him. "I mean it. Don't starve yourself so much. And I don't just mean your mind." And then she was gone.


	19. Chapter 18: Calatopia

**Author's Note:**

You people are awesome! Please leave a review if you like it. Also this story IS going to be canon in the end. It'll wind up back where canon left off and fit into the gaps. Thanks!

Oh yeah, I don't own Doctor Who, but I wish I own David Tennant.

 **Chapter 18: Calatopia**

Doctor POV

The Doctor had done as the future Lara had asked. The dead child had a beautiful grave on Women Wept, and the baby Gallifreyan Lara had been placed securely in the Maternity Ward with the FAB watch. He had barely finished when the two nurses emerged from the other broom closet, one flattening his hair and the other one tucking in his undershirt.

The Doctor waited three Earth months before he visited Lara again, though it had been only a week of her time. He almost felt that his time with Lara was an addiction, and that too much of it at once would somehow mean that he had become slave to this addiction.

Not only that, but he was dreading Lara's upcoming nuptuals to Billy. He had promised her that he would take her to Calatopia, a telepathic planet where an elder that he trusted would guide her through forming her bond with Billy. Although this was ultimately what she needed, the Doctor couldn't think of anything he would enjoy less.

"Tell me about the Calatopians," Lara asked him during their next adventure. Billy had gone to bed in their bedroom on Clom. Lara, who slept far less than Billy (but more than the Doctor) had ventured into the Doctors' room to talk with him. These were the moments he cherished most, when they would talk late into the night about Gallifrey, or the Doctor, or the universe. They were also the moments he feared the most, as she would often find a way to touch on subjects he would rather avoid, like the Time War.

"Most of the truly advanced species were wiped out during the Time War," the Doctor said. "The Calatopians were one of the only species that remained. Like any species, there are Calatopians that are well-meaning and Calatopians that have ulterior motives… though, admittedly, those are few and far between. Still, it's important to shield your mind and keep your barriers up for most of the time we're there. The Calatopians are a telepathic species, and if the wrong individual realized that we're Gallifreyan it could be really, really bad. Like, definitely up to a 7 on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the end of the universe. With our minds shielded, however, they'll know that we're different, but they won't be able to tell how."

"What about Billy?"

"He's human," the Doctor said, "The Calatopians won't delve into his mind past that. They are friendly with humans, but they typically see them as lacking depth."

"How does the bond work?" she asked.

"Well, it's a bit like a human wedding ceremony, except with a mental twist. It's the most similar marriage ceremony to Gallifreyan that still exists. Actually, sometimes Gallifreyans that didn't want the elders to know they were getting married would elope to Calatopia to have the ceremony done there.

"There are a couple of ways for the ceremony to be completed. One is for the mother and father of the bride to say, 'I consent and gladly give.' Both people hold either end of a cloth. And then you have to tell Billy… you have to tell him your name."

"My name?"

"You know what I mean. In the most secret part of you, the deepest part of your mind, there's a song that plays. That's your name." Lara nodded. She did know what he meant, and didn't require a further explanation. "But Brian doesn't have a name… at least, not in the same way."

"No, he wouldn't. Our minds are more complex. Instead of his name, though, he can offer a commitment to be with you until his life has ended."

The Doctor didn't meet Lara's eye. She had ventured too close to a subject that he really didn't want to discuss, so he changed the subject. "Your mother and father won't be present on Calatopia, though, so the ceremony will be a bit different. Instead of a parent or guardian, I will say the 'consent and gladly give' line. The Calatopians also have an extra twist to their ceremonies. The officient, who is usually one of the elders and a powerful telepath, will look into the minds of the betrothed to check for compatibility. He or she also has to give consent before the ceremony can be conducted."

"What if the officient doesn't think the two people getting married are compatible?" Lara looked worried.

"That rarely happens. All they're really checking for is that the betrothed really are willing and dedicated to the marriage. The Calatopians used to have a huge problem with people getting married under mental duress, so they instituted that failsafe a few thousand years ago."

Lara nodded.

***Doctor Who***

Doctor POV

It was another three months before the Doctor landed the TARDIS in Billy and Lara's apartment at the appointed time on their wedding night, for the trip to Calatopia. Though he dreaded the event, he had ultimately

decided that perhaps his dread of the event was probably worse than the event itself would be. Lara and Billy had invited him to their traditional wedding, but he had declined. "Thanks, but no thanks," he'd said when they invited him to the wedding. "Not my thing, really. How am I going to say I know you, anyway?"

The Doctor landed the TARDIS on Calatopia with one final warning. "To you it might sound fairly silent on Calatopia. The Calatopians don't have ears, or lips, though they have mouths for eating. Their telepathy allows all the communication that is needed. Lara, keep your barriers up until we get into the marriage chamber. I don't visit Calatopia very often, for that exact reason."

"Why do you visit Calatopia at all if it's so dangerous?" Billy asked.

The Doctor froze. _Sometimes I can't help it, I get so lonely!_ He felt Lara's eyes on him; she already knew the answer to this question, he was sure. He recovered, and gave his best attempt at a smile. "Weeeell, you know, there aren't a lot of species in the universe with telepathy. And if you don't use it, you lose it! Not really, not me anyway, but the Etydions, that's a different story. In the year 1010 Orange, about two thousand years ago Earth time…" Who was he kidding? Even he wasn't listening to himself anymore.

***Doctor Who***

Lara POV

Calatopia was not what Lara had expected at all. In actuality, it reminded Lara quite a bit of Earth, though everything seemed more colorful. Lara thought it was almost as though a rainbow threw up on the city. This thought made her smile.

There were several tourists of various races, but the majority of the city-folk were Calatopians. Despite having no ears or lips, the Calatopians looked very similar to humans. They were a light lavender color, but they were identical to humans in almost every other way. Their lack of ears was hidden by long gossamer hair.

The biggest surprise about Calatopia was that Lara didn't find it to be silent, as the Doctor had predicted, at all. She heard all sorts of voices in her head which were projected by the various Calatopians around her. Telepathy seemed to be like normal voices in that some were louder than others. Judging by Billy's and the Doctor's lack of a reaction to the different conversations around them, neither could hear everything she could. She saw the Doctor react to a couple of the Calatopians that seemed to be mentally shouting, but Billy didn't appear to hear even these. She filed this information away for later, knowing that it wouldn't be appropriate to discuss it now.

The marriage chamber looked almost as though a pack of gypsies had moved into a large church. They were met at the entrance by a Calatopian man who identified himself as Elimier. His telepathy was the strongest that Lara had yet encountered, and Lara understood that he was projecting loudly on purpose so the touch telepaths could hear. Lara understood that although Gallifreyans only had touch telepathy, Calatopians were able to both project thoughts to less telepathic species and receive thoughts without touching. " _I see that you've chosen to form a marriage bond_ ," he said.

" _No, actually I'll be forming the bond with Billy here,"_ Lara answered him, grasping Billy's hand so that he could hear her words through their bond. She tried to project as strongly as possible, and she knew that Elimier had heard her. More surprising was the Doctor's look of pure shock, and Lara realized with a start that he had heard her as well, though they hadn't been touching! Apparently she could project her thoughts loud enough that the Doctor could hear them, if she desired. She remembered vaguely that the Doctor had mentioned that very few Gallifreyans had telepathy that did not require touch… did that mean her telepathy was stronger than the Doctor's?

Elimier was busy looking at Billy. " _A human?"_ Elimier said, his eyebrows rising in shock. _"Congratulations! We don't get many… I mean… hold on, allow me a moment."_ He disappeared behind a curtain and did not return.

It was about ten minutes before the curtain opened again to reveal a much older female Calatopian with sharp silver eyes. Lara could tell by the look on the Doctor's face that he recognized the woman. " _I'm Clairvoya, Chief Elder of Marriage Bonds,"_ she told the three of them. She fixed the Doctor with a tight smile. " _It has been awhile, Time Lord."_


	20. Chapter 19: Clairvoya

**Author's Note:** Reviews! Please leave them! Much thank you!

I don't own Doctor Who. Obviously.

 **Chapter 19: Clairvoya**

Doctor POV

" _Please come with me,"_ Clairvoya said, and led them down a long hallway.

It had been years since he had seen Clairvoya; he had been in his seventh incarnation at the time, and she had been extremely young. It must have been almost 1,000 years in linear time since he had saved her family from terrorists. Still, he recognized her by her silver eyes, which were rare even on Calatopia. The Doctor knew that they typically signaled someone with strong telepathic abilities. It had been said that sometimes these silver-eyed Calatopians could tell the future. After meeting Clairvoya and her family, however, the Doctor thought it more likely that this future-telling ability was related more to the strength and reach of Clairvoya's telepathy than any actual foresight abilities. He supposed it would be easy to make accurate predictions about the future if you could learn someone's most intimate secrets just from being around them. He made sure he had locked his barriers tightly.

" _You do not need your barriers with me,"_ Clairvoya told him. He could feel, just from her presence, the tendrils of her powerful telepathy skating around and through his mind. " _You, more than anyone, must know that your barriers will not work. They are like water that floats around me."_

The Doctor remembered his frustration at this upon meeting Clairvoya the first time, a thought which made Clairvoya smile. _It has been a long time, but I am still in your debt for that day in the Medusa Cascade."_

They had reached a beautiful alcove full of flowers, and Clairvoya led the two Gallifreyans and the human into the alcove, showing them each where to stand. " _It is exciting that we have such an interesting marriage bond today,_ " Clairvoya said, speaking again to the room at large. Her face was covered in tiny wrinkles, though her eyes were keen and sharp. Lara held Billy's hand so that he could hear as well, as his telepathic abilities were negligible without being amplified by hers. The Doctor averted his eyes from their hands, and the smiles on their faces.

 _"_ _It has been some years, but bonds have been forged before between humans and telepathic species that have been long and happy. I am glad to facilitate this bond, but you must be sure."_

" _We're sure,_ " Lara thought back, again surprising the Doctor. How was she able to broadcast loud enough for him to hear her? He had known a few Gallifreyans who, by putting forth extra effort, could send feelings or intuitions to others without touching and without a bond. Lara's voice in his head was clear, however, and this had only been spoken of in legend.

 _"_ _Take this cloth and wrap it around your wrists,"_ Clairvoya told Billy and Lara, handing them a blue piece of cloth. " _You must say the words to form the bond."_

It was the Doctor's turn to speak. He had dreaded this moment, however he knew he could not avoid it forever. He took a breath, and tried to act like he was happy for the couple. He knew Clairvoya would know otherwise, but he hoped that she would officiate the bond between Lara and Billy regardless, for the sake of their happiness. His happiness, as usual, was not a priority. "I consent and gladly give," he stated, trying to add enthusiasm.

Clairvoya sent a sharp gaze his way, but continued the ceremony. _"Now, let me look into your minds,"_ she told them. She closed her eyes peacefully, placing her hands on the pedestal in front of her. The Doctor had seen this done in a Calatopian ceremony once before, and so he knew what to expect. After a minute flew by, and then five minutes, however, he began to become annoyed. He could feel Clairvoya in his mind, sifting into the deepest parts. The intrusion annoyed him, but he was even more annoyed by the fact that it was effortless, like water flowing through a strainer. Lara caught his eye, and raised her eyebrow, as if to say, "What's taking so long?" It occurred to the Doctor that she probably could have asked him this telepathically if she so chose, however she was not used to making the effort to broadcast yet.

Finally, Clairvoya seemed satisfied, though she shot the Doctor a sidelong glance. " _Now, Lara, you must share your name with your beloved. Even I cannot hear this. Go into the deepest parts of each others' minds, and form a bond of love and knowledge."_

The Doctor could tell when Lara and Billy had formed bond because they both smiled in relief and love, then kissed. He composed his face into a look of happiness, and realized Clairvoya was watching him closely.

He knew that Clairvoya would want to speak with him after the ceremony, and he was not disappointed. Her mind called to his from the corner of a large room, shortly after the ceremony was over. He approached her cautiously.

" _It is just like when I met you as a child,"_ she told him. " _You are a man of mysteries."_

 _"_ _I have many mysteries,"_ the Doctor said. " _You'll have to be more specific_."

" _There is much that is obvious to me, so I shall start with that,"_ Clairvoya said. " _Billy is devoted to Lara. Lara is devoted to Billy. But Billy will die long before Lara, who is young in the life she will live. And so Lara has another hope there, despite her devotion to Billy – a hope to be with you. You have seen this hope, too. And you have seen the future, a future where you are happy, and yet you resist it. Why_?"

 _"_ _Surely you've seen inside my mind enough to know the life I live_ ," the Doctor spat out before he could help himself. " _I would never subject her to this life_."

 _"_ _Is that your decision to make?"_ Clairvoya asked him sharply.

" _It will be if I can help it_."

Clairvoya matched his tone then, and suddenly he realized she had become as formidable in presence as she was in telepathy. It occurred to him that she could match his "On-Coming Storm" mode if she wanted. _"You've grown dangerous, Lord of Time. The universe has given you too much power. You do not control time, and you do not control her. Why do you resist something so obvious? Even after Billy passes, you would deny yourself this?"_

" _Even years into the future, if I can convince her to use the chameleon arch_ -…"

" _Then you'd spend the rest of your life regretting it, and wondering what could've been_ ," Clairvoya said.

" _I'd spend the rest of my life knowing she lived a full and brilliant human life, where she wouldn't be bothered with things like mass genocides and daleks and days when everybody dies. Because there are lots of those, you know. The visits I bring along companions are my vacations_."

" _You're so used to humans and their short life span, to being alone,"_ Clairvoya said, looking at him closely. _Even when you finally have a chance at everything you want, you are still convinced that another way would be better. How very human of you."_

" _I'm protecting her_."

Clairvoya laughed, an unsettling tinkling sound. " _You're protecting you, Doctor_. _Your ship knows that, I think. And, deep down, so do you."_

" _You have no idea-…"_

 _"_ _What you've been through? How it feels to save the world every day, for the rest of your long life? The monstrosities you committed in the Time War, when you had no choice?"_ She said it kindly, patiently, like a parent attempting to convince their child to take a sweater in the cold air. Still, the words stung. The Doctor made one final attempt to put up mental barriers, which unfortunately only made him feel more like a petulant child attempting to barricade his bedroom door with a flimsy chair.

 _"_ _I appreciate you performing the ceremony for Billy and Lara_ ," he said, " _And I have the greatest amount of respect for you. It's wonderful to see you now, so many years later, living a life with such great purpose as Chief Elder of Marriage Bonds."_

The Doctor knew that Clairvoya heard the angry and bitter thoughts swirling around his mind as well as his insistent speech, but she allowed him his dignity and did not continue the subject.

 _"_ _As I said, Doctor, we are forever in your debt. If there is anything we could ever do… If you ever change your mind, and even if you don't, please return to visit. You are always welcome here."_


	21. Chapter 20: Lara On Her Own

**Author's Note:** So if you grab the name of the place they land in this chapter, you can kind of guess what's coming in the next few chapters... don't worry, you don't need to have seen the anime or anything like that to understand. It'll be like when I did that brief FFX cross-over story, and just sort of borrowed the setting.

I do not own Doctor Who, obviously.

 **Chapter 20: Lara on her Own**

Lara POV

Lara was patient, but insistent. "If you want me to, I'll stop traveling with him. We can use the chameleon arch, like he wants me to."

Billy stared her in the face. Both of them knew that this conversation was going nowhere; it never did. Still, somehow, it was helpful to talk about the issue. "I can tell through our bond that you _would_ stop traveling with him, and use the chameleon arch to go back to being human, if I wanted. And, I appreciate that; it's why I'm still he – he – he – ACHOO!" Billy sneezed. "It's why I'm still here."

Lara sent a wave of love through her bond to Billy. "Don't ever doubt that my being with you was never, ever a choice, Gallifreyan or not."

Billy smiled, blowing his nose fiercely. "But I can also tell through the bond that as much as you're willing to stop traveling with him and go back to being human, it's not what you really want."

Lara flopped over on their bed, then sighed in frustration. "Why does he have to be such a stubborn ass! Jesus, I thought the two of us were stubborn, but apparently we're nothing next to a 906-year-old Time Lord."

"It's almost like he's using our relationship against us," Billy said, sniffling again. He'd been sick for the past three days, and it was only just starting to get better. "He knows I love you too much to insist that you give up being Gallifreyan and stop traveling with him. He knows he's the only line to your heritage, and neither of us would ever want you to be alone after I pass… so, we have to keep traveling with him. On the other hand, he knows you love me too much to commit to traveling all of time and space with him forever. So, in the meantime, he's got a couple of committed traveling companions, but he doesn't have to commit to anything himself.

"I don't think it's like that," Lara said. "It's more like he can't bring himself to consider the obvious solution, but he's not going to _force_ me to use the chameleon arch, either. He's just waiting on me to decide on my own to use the chameleon arch so that things can go back to the way they were and he won't have to make any difficult decisions."

"It's sad that the 'obvious solution' is to pass my immortal wife along to an immortal husband after I die," Billy said scathingly. "Especially when said immortal husband won't touch the subject with a ten-foot pole, and instead is stringing us both along like a kitten."

"How did you get 'immortal husband' from 'the last two Gallifreyans in the universe?'" Lara asked him. She wouldn't deny that she was open to the possibility of being with the doctor in the very, very distant future. Still, now that she knew she had hundreds of years to live and Billy did not, she preferred to appreciate every moment with Billy. "I mean, there are a lot of guys that I wouldn't date even if we were the last two humanoids on Earth. Like, for example, most of them."

"Because," Billy pronounced, holding back a sneeze. "He'd be crazy not to want to marry you."

"God you're a cheeseball," Lara said, smiling and kissing him. Luckily, she was immune to human colds, and so didn't have to worry about catching his. When they broke apart, Lara said thoughtfully, "you know, normal, _human_ couples would be thinking about where they're going to get the money to buy a house right now," Lara said.

Billy grinned. "Yeah, but normal, _human_ couples wouldn't have won the equivalent of half a million US dollars betting on robot wars on Quitessia. I'll give the Doctor this much, it's been a wild ride!"

"Yeah, next time he gives us a credit stick on a random planet, we should ask how much money it's worth before we go betting on things."

Billy chuckled, sniffling again. "Or maybe not; I think Quitessia worked out quite well for us, in the end. Now all we have to do is just keep adding more to the bank, slowly, so people don't think we've been dealing cocaine because we're suddenly so rich. How are your school loans doing?"

"Well," Lara answered. "Nobody suspects anything odd. I just told the school loans people I've been really skimping and living off peanut butter in order to pay the whole bill every month, and they believed it. I'm down to $60,000!"

"Well, as long as the school loans people don't talk to the Corvette people, we'll be okay."

"Hey!" Lara hit his arm teasingly. "I have to do something while you're asleep all night!"

They continued to giggle for awhile, then Billy checked his phone to look at the time. "It's almost time," he told Lara. "The Doctor will be here in a few minutes."

Lara laughed. "If he's on time. Last week he showed up at 2AM and asked if we were still awake."

Billy laughed, too. "Look, we've been doing this every week for a year and a half. Why don't you go with the Doctor on your own this time?"

Lara looked stunned. "Why?"

Billy shrugged. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm sick. Also, Fallout 4 just came out, and I'd rather play it on the video game than run from zombies in real life while I feel like throwing up."

Lara rolled her eyes. "I'd be terrified to run from zombies without you. Are you sure you're okay with that? The Doctor's probably got some amazing cure for the common cold, anyway."

"Nah, I think it may just be the only thing he can't cure. I asked him last year when you got sick, remember? Him and I went all the way to Sto to get those really potent anti-biotics, and all we ended up with were those green spots all over our faces."

"Yeah," Lara said, "now I remember. I don't miss being human, but I'd rather have the common cold than the Sto measles."

Billy agreed, then changed the subject. "Plus, you've got to admit, the only time the Doctor ever actually talks to you about anything important is when I'm not there."

"That's not true," Lara said immediately. "Even then he won't say a darn thing about the future. He just reassures me that he can give you an extra hundred years or so with his superior medical supplies that can't cure the common cold, and then suggests the chameleon arch again."

"Yeah, but I don't even get that far," Billy said with a cough. All I get is, 'Do you have enough headache pills for the next month? And, by the way, have you talked to Lara about becoming human again lately?'"

Lara laughed. "Fair enough. But… are you sure?"

"Yeah," Billy said. "If you want to, you and him can try again to find a cure for the common cold. But personally, I don't recommend it."

***Doctor Who***

"Amestris!" The Doctor exclaimed approximately ten hours later, dancing around the console. "The perfect place to find a cure for the common cold! Plenty of little shops with special potions, and no chance of any Sto measles!" He kicked the TARDIS into gear, and she wheezed, lifting off with great effort.

Lara raised her eyebrows. "It's, um, also the perfect place to make myself a new re-calibrator circuit," he said. "The TARDIS has been getting worse and worse with exact timing landings lately. The first time I tried landing near you today, I ended up landing next Wednesday. When I made it at 4:00 in the morning on my second try, I figured I might as well cut my losses and see if you were still awake. Sorry for waking you up, by the way."

Lara rolled her eyes, but stopped abruptly when she realized the TARDIS was falling. "Whoops!" the Doctor yelled, grinning, "looks like we've hit a little turbulence!" He continued to rush around the TARDIS, hastily pulling knobs and pushing other knobs with his feet. Lara held onto one of the coral struts, feeling as though she was going to throw up. And then, suddenly, everything went black.

***Doctor Who***

When Lara came to, she felt more odd than she'd ever felt before in her life. A quick body scan with her Gallifreyan senses told her that everything was in tact. She had a large knot on her head, but she could already feel it healing. What was more concerning, however, was how sick she felt. It felt like she had a stomach ache, mixed with a headache, mixed with a feeling that something was very, very wrong.

"Why does it feel like my time sense is about to throw up?" Lara asked, holding her head.

"Well, that's actually a rather good way of putting it," the Doctor said as he swam into view. "That's the feeling you get when my lovely ship has landed us in the very, very wrong time. Specifically, we've landed right in the middle of a fixed point. And, somehow, our landing here has just changed it."


	22. Chapter 21: The Disappearance of Xerxes

**Author's Note** : So, this has some crossover with Fullmetal Alchemist, but you don't have to have seen FMA to understand it.

Also, I don't own Doctor Who or FMA, but Lara and Billy are mine.

Chapter 21: The Disappearance of Xerxes

Lara POV

Lara stood up, looking around at the TARDIS console. It was almost completely dark, and the Doctor's sonic screwdriver cast an eerie glow around the console. "Is she… what's wrong with her?"

"She's okay," the Doctor said. "She's just conserving energy. Compared to what could've happened, she's actually doing quite well." He looked proud. "That's the good news. And, we've landed in the perfect area for me to find the part I need to get us off the ground again, _and_ fix the recalibrator circuit – right in the middle of town in Xerxes!"

Lara glared at him. "So what's the bad news?"

"Weeeeeelllllll, we _may_ have just landed on the, um, day of the disappearance of, um, Xerxes." He had his arm behind his head, scratching his neck.

"Ex _cuse_ me?" Lara said, continuing to glare.

"Well, sometime this evening, or maybe tonight, the entire city of Xerxes… um, well, everybody dies. And, you know, nobody knows why." He finally met her eye.

Lara was stunned. "So… what you're saying is that we've basically landed in Rome. On volcano day."

"Yup." He popped the 'p' But there was something else in his expression, suddenly, a haunting look that Lara only just caught.

"You've done that before haven't you? Landed in Rome, on volcano day." She knew immediately from his expression that there was more to this story than she would ever hear.

"Yup," he said again, and Lara continued her icy stare.

The Doctor seemed to deflate, and sat down dejectedly on the jump seat. "As it turned out, Pompeii was being controlled by the Pyroviles, a volcanic race whose home planet was destroyed. They were using an energy converter to use the volcano to convert the human race into Pyroviles and conquer the Earth. I had to make the volcano erupt. Myself and Do-…" his voice broke, but he plowed on. "We overloaded the energy converter and erupted the volcano." He would not meet her eye.

" _You_ erupted the volcano?" Lara asked in wonder.

"To save the planet." He glanced at her for a second as though looking for her approval, but then his face hardened and he rose. "You wanted to be a Time Lord," he said icily. "That's what I do. I make hard decisions."

And with that, he threw open the doors to the TARDIS and stepped out, leaving Lara to scramble behind him.

The Doctor strode quickly down the busy street, leaving Lara almost running behind him. The street was a busy street like any other town center, though it reminded Lara a bit of ancient Greece. Horses and carts swarmed up and down the dirty road, and peddlers sold their wares.

Eventually, the Doctor turned sharply and strode toward a shop called "Rockbell Automail." Lara saw a flash of recognition in his eyes when he spotted the shop, as though it hadn't been his first destination but spotting it had been a stroke of luck. "What?" Lara cried after him, nearly running to keep up, "What'd you see!?"

But the Doctor had already entered the shop, and Lara scrambled in after him. A young woman was humming softly in the shop, her platinum blond hair swinging as she bounced her head up and down with the tune coming from an old radio. She was polishing what looked like a metallic false leg. In fact, the whole shop was littered with similar metal legs and arms, though there were a few contraptions (also made of metal) that did not resemble limbs. The young woman jumped when she saw the Doctor.

"Apologies, sir! I didn't expect… I mean, not that we're closed, but… how can I help you?" She stood up abruptly, a wrench in her hand, but caught the metal leg she had been working on before it could clatter on the floor.

"I need a… ehm… well, I suppose a knee joint should do nicely, for what I need."

The young lady raised her eyebrows. "What size?"

"Ehm…" Lara knew that the Doctor was calculating units of TARDIS measurement into units of measurement this woman would understand. "A 14-22 should do nicely. And, if you could, I'll take an extra pneumatic actuator, and a sheet of aluminum alloy. I'm not picky about which one, but I suppose zinc, if you have it."

The young lady raised her eyebrow even higher, and gave the Doctor a suspicious look, but headed to the back of her shop with a mumbled, "be right back."

"What the heck was that all about?" Lara hissed to the Doctor once she was gone.

"Rockbell," the Doctor said simply, "her name was Rockbell. I should've known… _that_ must be why we're here. The Rockbell name lives on, even through the cataclysm today. We must save her, somehow, and she must survive, because later her children, or grandchildren, or something, play a huge part in -…"

"Look at you, you both seem so excited!" the woman said, smiling, from the doorway. She was holding a huge sheet of metal in her hands, and a stocky man behind her held a small device that looked a bit like a pencil sharpener. "Everyone's so looking forward to King Xerxes' party tonight. You'll be attending, then?"

"We most certainly will," the Doctor said immediately, without missing a beat. "But I've been so busy trying to fix my… ah… ship, that I'm afraid I'm a little behind on the newest rumors. What is supposed to occur at King Xerxes' party?"

The stocky man snorted gruffly. "King Xerxes says he's found a way to make his-self immortal." The Doctor looked at Lara pointedly. "Fat lot of rubbish, I say. Sure has brought us a lot of business, though, lately, what with tha' competition tonight. Everyone wants to put their best foot forward, so to speak… I'm Rob, by tha' way, Rob Rockbell, and this here's my wife, Lynn." He held his hand out, and the Doctor shook it firmly.

"I'm the Doctor, and this is Lara," he said, nodding his head to Lara.

"Doctor who?" asked Lynn, her blue eyes peeking curiously out from behind a fringe of blond hair.

"Just the Doctor," he responded.

Lynn gave her husband an imploring look, and Rob sighed and said, "I'll admit I'm mighty curious to know what you're workin' on. Nobody comes 'round here lookin' for _just_ a knee joint unless they're a mechanic themselves. You got your own shop somewhere? I know parts have been a bit short lately with the demand so high-…"

"No," the Doctor said, whisking out the psychic paper with a small grin at Lara. "We, ah… we came from very far away, we're not local. We came for the, ah… party tonight. But our ship has broken down a little, and we need some very specific parts to fix her." He handed the psychic paper to Rob, who peeked at it before passing it back to the Doctor.

"Albion, 'eh? Tha's a very long way. King Xerxes sure does reach far these days." The Rockbells still looked suspicious, but this seemed to at least quell enough curiousity to be getting on with. "You'll need an automechanic, though, to install these parts in your ship. At tha' very least you'll need a welder."

The Doctor looked as though he was thinking quickly, then after a moment's pause, he said, "that is true, I suppose. If you'll follow me, I'll escort you to my ship." In an undertone to Lara, he added, "Glad we crashed near the river. That was a stroke of luck."

Lara expected to see the TARDIS, but in its place was what looked like a giant sailboat. Lara glared at the Doctor, who shrugged, and gestured the tiny group inside.

"Wow!" exclaimed Lynn, looking around at the inside of the TARDIS, "this doesn't look anything like the ships around here on the inside!"

"New technology, all the way from Albion," the Doctor said immediately. "All very secret, hush hush. It's a new project to develop ships using sentient, um, elements. Anyway, the kneecap joint needs to be attached here…" the Doctor opened a panel on the Tardis, revealing a piece that only slightly resembled the kneecap joint. This one was connected to several wires and was sparking slightly and emanating a burnt smell. "Would you like some tea?"

"Very much, thank you," said Rob, brandishing a screwdriver. He looked quizzically at the burnt innards of the TARDIS. "'S is unlike anything I've ever worked with ba'fore, but tha' mechanics are tha' same I s'pose."

Lara took a seat on the jump seat while the Doctor went to get tea.

"Odd fella you've got there," Lynn said, pulling her platinum hair out of her eyes while she held a light for her husband with her other hand. "This ship is fantastic, too. Seems like it's made for way more than just sailing…"

"That's classified," Lara said, smiling. She hoped if she used the right tone, Lynn wouldn't be able to tell whether this was the truth or a joke, and would give it up entirely.

Lynn looked quizzically at her for a second, and, as Lara had hoped, moved on. "Lucky we were able to nip down here for awhile," Lynn said, "things have been so busy what with the party."

"Yeah, that's right. Tell me about this party," Lara said, hoping to probe further.

"Well, you know, nobody really thinks Xerxes can make himself immortal, but everyone wants to win the dance contest just to find out what he's up to."

"Not everyone," muttered Rob distractedly, then added, "Wrench."

Lynn handed him a wrench from his toolbox. "We're not quite so interested in the dance competition, though. We've been so busy making automail over the past couple of weeks that we'll be glad to have a quiet evening at home for a change."

"So winning the dance competition is the only way to see whatever King Xerxes has been up to?" Lara pressed.

Lynn shrugged. "Seems so. The rumor is only his two or three most trusted advisors will be there with him, and whoever wins the dance contest, of course. And you know how the King likes his dancing. I'll give him this much, it's been a great way to boost the economy around here."

"Tea?" the Doctor asked, holding out a tea pot with a couple of steaming cups.

"Thank ya'," said Rob, and he and Lynn both grabbed a cup off of the tray.

"So what do you think King Xerxes is really up to?" the Doctor asked, continuing to press the young couple.

"No idea," said Lynn, adding, "Is it just me, or do you suddenly feel really tired?" At that moment both Rob and Lynn collapsed where they were standing, Lynn nearly falling onto Lara on the jump seat and Rob slumping over the TARDIS console.

***Doctor Who***

Doctor POV

The Doctor let out an exasperated sigh. "I was just going to tell them the situation, but you decide to make them go nighty-night!" the Doctor yelled at his ship. The TARDIS sent him a wave of smugness, and he rolled his eyes. "Lara, help me get them-…" but Lara's hands were on her hips, and she was glaring at him.

The Doctor deflated under her glare. "I guess you have questions," he said. "But first, could you help me with them?"

Together, the Doctor and Lara laid Rob and Lynn on the floor, placing pillows under their heads and covering them with blankets. Lara jumped up on the jump seat, arms crossed and feet on the TARDIS console, and continued to glare.

"Go ahead," the Doctor said, picking up the wrench and resuming Rob's half-finished work.

"A SAILBOAT?!" Lara expelled, finally giving words to all of her pent-up frustration with him. "What the hell happened to the chameleon circuit being broken or whatever?"

"Fixed it," the Doctor said. It had been one of the things he had done while he was trying to avoid attending Lara's wedding. "She doesn't like it much, though. So we came to a compromise. Chameleon circuit stays fixed, but she still gets to be a blue box unless we really _need_ her to do otherwise."

"And the Rockbells?"

"Just asleep, obviously. They're part of this whole thing. The Rockbell family is really important in the future of Amestris. Always have an automail shop, very crucial as history unfolds. They can't die tonight with everyone else."

"So you poisoned them?"

"Nah, just a sleeping draught. They'll only be out for about 12 hours. Does wonderful things for the sinuses, too, that particular concoction. Why, in 1515 AD the Duke of York-…"

"So you lured them here to hold them hostage until after everyone dies tonight?" Lara asked.

"Wweeeeellll they're not exactly hostages if they're asleep," the Doctor said. "And it was the TARDIS that put them to sleep, not me. But it does make things easier, I suppose."

"But if that was all we had to do to put things right, to put history on track, then my time sense wouldn't still be giving me this prickly feeling."

"Right you are," the Doctor said, "so there's something we still have to do."

"What's that?"

"Not sure," the Doctor said, "but I'm guessing it has something to do with this dance competition."

***Doctor Who***

Two hours later, the Doctor had fixed the shock absorbers and the recalibrator circuit on the TARDIS, and dressed in his nicest suit. Lara looked beautiful in a stunning red dress that the TARDIS had supplied, with her hair pulled up in a sweeping updo. The Doctor caught himself staring at her several times and had to forcibly avert his eyes before she noticed.

"My lady," the Doctor said, proferring Lara a hand as he opened the door to the TARDIS. It was the first time he had touched her in months, and he was relieved to see that she did indeed have control over her telepathy. Her barriers were up, just as his were, and they had no more or less access to each other's minds than they did when she was human. Still, the prospect of holding her hand made his hearts beat faster. He had tried so hard to run from his own feelings, to avoid her. He had been so diligent, but now that he was backed into a corner of dancing with her he found that he couldn't have been happier about it. Still, a large part of him (the moral part) honestly rather wished he could skip this dance competition, but he didn't think they had a choice if they really wanted to find out what Xerxes was up to. Skipping the dance competition and landing the TARDIS right in the middle of Xerxes' attempt to become immortal would have theoretically been possible now that the recalibration circuit was fixed, but in truth he had no idea where or exactly when it was supposed to happen.

It was soon after that, therefore, when the Doctor and Lara took the floor to begin the dance competition. The Doctor found Lara to be a fantastic dancer. Their Gallifreyan intellect gave them the reaction time they needed to copy the moves of the other dancers, and the endurance they needed to do so for an extended amount of time. If that hadn't been the case, this regeneration was an above average dancer, and could more than make up for whatever Lara failed to bring to the table. The Doctor had expected this, but he knew the moment Lara had discovered it by the exhilarated smile which lit up her face. She was so close to him, now, that he could almost kiss her. He could feel her breath on his face, and he loved the way her eyes sparkled once she was confident that she knew the moves without having to glance at others around her. He thought briefly of Billy, and of a cure for the common cold, and of all the death they would surely see tonight. Not yet, though, he thought as Lara held him closer as they attempted a dip. Tonight, just for a little while, she was his. Tonight, just for a little while, he was not the last Time Lord in the universe.


	23. Chapter 22: The Horrible Timelines

**Author's Note:** This one kind of got away from me. I don't know if anybody has ever gone this far into detail about what the Doctor sees in terms of the timelines before, but this is kind of how I imagine it to be. Let me know your opinions in the comments, and leave a review!

I don't own David Tennant, or Doctor Who, or Edward Elric, or Fullmetal Alchemist, I just borrow the characters and play around with them.

 **Chapter 22: The Horrible Timelines**

Doctor POV

His hands were around her waist, and she was pressed against him for the soft sway of the celebration dance. It was a slow number, meant to show off the "happy couple" that had won the competition. The Doctor almost hoped the song was over soon; too much more of this, and he might spontaneously combust. He was fully aware of her hands on his neck and of their chests pressed together, too tight but yet not tight enough. He caught her eye, and was not surprised to see that she looked unsure. Something about her gaze, however, hinted that her hesitancy was not because of their closeness. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Lara swallowed hard, and the Doctor got a feeling that he had just opened Pandora's box by asking her to express her feelings. "I'm watching the timelines," she said.

Now the Doctor knew what was wrong. They could both see, in their minds' eye, the progression of the timelines. The golden strands of everyone around them wove in and out. Some of the timelines were bright golden strands and others more dull. Other possible timelines intersected at multiple points, some stronger than others. His timeline and her timeline were the brightest, glowing like beacons and heading off into the distance. The other timelines, however, seemed to stop abruptly in just a short while. The Doctor could see it as well; thousands upon thousands of tiny gold strands ending abruptly, dropping into the black abyss. It was staggering. He nodded. "I didn't want you to have to see this."

"I wanted to be Gallifreyan," Lara said, quoting him sadly. He could see a tear forming in her eye, and he swallowed hard to repell the urge to wipe it away.

"Sometimes hard choices are necessary", he said stoically, though he squeezed her waist in comfort.

She looked up at him suddenly then. "Why?"

The Doctor looked at her questioningly, though he had a sinking feeling he knew what she was going to ask.

"I can't read the timelines yet as well as you, I think," she said, "but I can read them a little." Hesitantly she raised her two fingers in question. The Doctor knew she was offering to show him what she saw, but he shook his head. "You can describe them." He tried to keep the longing out of his voice.

She paused a minute, to recover from his rejection. "I can see our timelines. I can see all of the possible paths open to us. And all of them all of them end in death, for everyone else… all except one."

He cast his eyes downward, and heaved a sigh. "I didn't know you could pick out the timelines that clearly yet."

"I can," she said, looking at him stoically. It was at that point the song ended, however, and they broke apart somewhat reluctantly. The Doctor looked in the corner and saw several photographers ready to interview them about their success, but he felt Lara take his hand again firmly. "This conversation isn't over yet," she said, and wheeled him back onto the dance floor. He went with her, mostly because at this point – in the face of all of the death they were about to witness, combined with the softness of holding her against him – he felt helpless to resist. Also, he knew that she needed to understand.

The Doctor sighed, and began a long-winded explanation. "You have very strong telepathy, and it makes you more in-tune with the people around you. This, I think, makes it easier for you to pick out short-range timelines."

Lara nodded. "That makes sense." They hadn't talked about her advanced telepathy, but it seemed Lara had already known this fact. "But Doctor, you said that in almost all situations, we should follow the timeline where the most beings live, where the most timelines flourish. You even gave that long speech three weeks ago about how sometimes it's necessary for our timeline to end if it means several other timelines can continue."

Jesus, had he been that high-handed? It sounded like him, he had to admit.

"But that one timeline, the one where everybody lives, is not the one we're following."

The Doctor looked guilty again, but gave a sorrowful smile. "You said it yourself. I told you ' _in almost all situations_ , we should follow the timeline where the most beings live.'"

"I thought the only exceptions to the rule were in situations where the timelines that were ending belonged to enemies of humanity, like Cybermen, or…'"

"Weeeeelll, that's one interpretation of what I said," the Doctor admitted, scratching his head when the music allowed. "But there's more to it." Suddenly, he whirled her into a small hallway which was right next to where they were dancing, and they broke apart, standing awkwardly behind a large column. The Doctor sighed again.

"Say that there are two species at war, and you don't know much about either one. Neither of them are races that are looking to conquer the world, and both of them have individuals who are upstanding citizens and individuals who seem to be kind of slimy. Some of them literally, in one case. Anyway, say you somehow end up in a situation where you have to choose which race gets to live and which race gets to die. What do you do?"

Lara looked uncomfortable with his eyes boring a hole through her. "I guess if I were you, I'd look for a solution where both races get to live and they can work out an amicable solution."

The Doctor looked at her, stunned. Did she really see him that way? He remembered the love for him that had been present when he had entered her mind a few months ago, however it continued to stun him that anyone could see him in such an optimistic light. He recovered quickly. "Well, admittedly, I do manage to do that about 3 out of 5 times. Actually, there was one time in the Medusa Cascade - …"

"Doctor," Lara chided him, rolling her eyes.

"Right. Anyway, what would you do if this wasn't one of those 3 out of 5 times?"

Lara shrugged, trying to look as though the conversation they were having was not about the life or death of thousands, then averted her eyes.

"As a Time Lord, you have to look farther than just the immediate timelines. When the weight of your decisions could affect thousands of people, you need to be able to see how the universe is affected for thousands of years." Lara looked at him blankly, clearly not understanding what he meant. As he listened, the clock struck 11 PM; they didn't have much time, and he needed Lara's help and her understanding.

Reluctantly, he grasped Lara's hand and lifted it to his temple in invitation. She nodded, and connected two fingers to his temple.

The connection was immediate, and shocking. Unlike the first time they had connected, so many months ago, she was much better at using her telepathy. She appeared in the lobby of his mind, and it felt like his whole mind was suddenly basked in a warm glow. He shivered appreciatively at the feeling and gave himself one small, small second just to appreciate how wonderful it felt. She did not comment, though she sent him a questioning look. He chose to ignore it, but grabbed her hand and changed the scenery around them.

Lara POV

Being in the Doctor's mind felt amazing. Despite the circumstances, Lara was overjoyed to be in his mind again, particularly since she had thought she might never have another chance. She worried about him so much sometimes, and seeing the state of his mind before she had arrived there only made her worry more. He really shouldn't go this long without contact.

The range of timelines that he could see was far more vast than hers. Like her, he could see the single path that led to all of the timelines of the people around them continuing. Like her, he could see the thousands of timelines that led to death for all of the people around them. Through the Doctor's eyes, however, Lara could now see that the two of them were not the only individuals who would survive the coming cataclysmic event. She noted two tiny gold threads that represented Lynn and Rob, still safe on the TARDIS. Two other individuals would also survive the night, and, like Lara and the Doctor, their timelines extended far into the future, much farther than Lynn and Rob's. Lara realized with horror why she had not immediately seen these two individuals at first: while all of the other timelines were some variation of gold or silver, these two individuals had thick, black timelines. They blended in with the inky blackness of space, and even the Doctor would never have picked them out except for how horribly, terribly wrong they both felt. Somehow, these two individuals were the reason for all of the death. No, that was wrong, too – somehow, these two individuals _embodied_ all of the death.

"What are they?" she whispered in horror.

"Some horrible magic is done here tonight," the Doctor whispered in horror. "The entire city of Xerxes dies so that these two can live."

"Neither of these timelines belongs to Xerxes," Lara said thoughtfully. "So he wasn't able to make himself immortal. It's almost like-…"

"He tried to make himself immortal, but someone else was made immortal instead," the Doctor finished. "Or some _thing_ else. Two something else's. But look further." The Doctor grasped her hand again, and together they soared quickly over the inky blackness, into the future. As they flew farther into the future, Lara and the Doctor began to feel pain as even the Doctor's limits of reading the timelines were tested. Lara's head was screaming in pain, but still the Doctor pulled her forward. More timelines had begun to appear again in the inky blackness, and Lara knew that this meant that society would rebuild after the death that would occur tonight. The two horrible, black timelines were still there, however, moving in parallel but never intersecting.

Then, just when the pain in Lara's head reached it's peak, the Doctor stopped. "Look," he said. Lara saw the place where the two revolting, undulating timelines met, and then both stopped abruptly.

"What does it mean?" Lara asked.

"Not sure," the Doctor said. "I suppose it means that whatever is made tonight… the world isn't big enough for two of them. Ultimately, they will destroy each other." Suddenly Lara and the Doctor were back at the current place in the timeline. It felt as though a tether had been snapped, and they had abruptly been yanked back to the "now." Lara felt like retching, but the Doctor seemed unaffected.

"Now, look over here, at the timeline where everybody lives." The Doctor took Lara's hand again and they began to fly once more through the inky blackness. This time, they followed the single path Lara had seen earlier where the golden strands of the timeline around them did not end abruptly. Lara looked closely for the two undulating, inky black timelines, but they were nowhere to be found. Suddenly, as they soared into the golden future, however, Lara saw a scene that looked similar to the one she faced in the present. Once again, all of the golden timelines ended abruptly. This time, however, only one inky, black, undulating timeline began.

"What does that mean?" Lara asked, as the two of them landed back in the lobby of the Doctor's mind.

The Doctor looked at her slowly. "Why don't you give it a shot?"

Lara thought, then said slowly, "whatever happens tonight can't be avoided forever. If it doesn't happen tonight, it'll happen a few years down the road, because… it's a fixed point."

"And?" the Doctor prodded, his eyes flickering with a hint of pride.

"If the deaths happen tonight, two of those… horrible… beings are born. Whatever they are, they'll ultimately destroy each other. If it happens in the future… there's no promising that. That horrible being, whatever it is, could live forever."

"Yup!" the Doctor said. "I act like I make it all up as I go along. And, to be truthful, I _do_ make it all up as I go along. But I always have a guide; this is my guide. When I'm not sure what to do, I check the timelines." He shook his head. "Although, you know, it's more of an instinctual thing now. I can't remember the last time I took that close a look at them."

"Have you ever seen… anything like that?" Lara asked him, remembering the black, undulating timelines.

"No," the Doctor said, somber now, "and I hope I never do again."


	24. Chapter 23: Everybody Dies

**Author's Note:** This chapter, and this part of Lara's story, has been almost a year in coming. I was watching Fullmetal Alchemist last winter before Anime Central (ACEN), when I first got the idea to play around with this. What if Van Hohenheim had had some guidance about what to do to defeat Father? I love how you can stick the Doctor in the middle of so many other stories and tie up loose ends. Anyway, it's much easier and more fun for me to stick the Doctor briefly and periodically into other fictional places that he'd do really well in. Let me know your thoughts in the reviews!

I don't own Doctor Who or David Tennant or Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood because if I did I'd have a whole lot more money.

 **Chapter 23: Everybody Dies**

Chapter 23: Everybody Dies

Lara POV

The room where King Xerxes' "immortality" was supposed to take place was nothing like Lara expected, and yet, at the same time, it was _exactly_ what she had expected. This part of the castle was grand, but not ostentatious like the ballroom. It looked as though it used to be some sort of auditorium. It was dimly lit by several candles and torches, and felt a bit like a dungeon, though not as bleak. A large green rug covered the floor, and stairs led to a stage with more torches.

Lara and the Doctor were ushered into the large room, and a guard pointed to two chairs, where they sat near the back of the proceedings. To Lara's surprise, the two guards that had led them into the room gave small, stiff bows and exited, closing the door behind them. Lara sent the Doctor a look of alarm, but found him instead looking at the proceedings in disgust.

Lara followed his gaze. It seemed to be a small ceremony, whatever it was. The King stood near the middle of the rug, over a giant, boiling cauldron. Four individuals in white robes stood at four corners of the green rug, holding lamps. Three more individuals in black robes stood near the front of the green rug, directly in front of Lara and the Doctor. Finally, one lone figure with a blond beard and ponytail and white robes stood off to the side of the proceedings, on the opposite side of the men in black robes. This man was holding a small flask, in which a dark black mass undulated.

"It looks like some kind of dark magic," Lara whispered carefully to the Doctor.

He raised his eyebrows at her.

"You can't be… serious?"

"Close enough," he whispered back. "This is a crude version of what the Amestrians later call alchemy. We call it chemistry. It's an advanced sort of chemistry. It has to do with making transmutation circles, sort of drawings, that when put together in the right way take physical form. It's about as close to magic, the way humans think of it, as you can get."

"Whatever kills the people in Xerxes tonight… won't it kill us, too?" Lara asked, eyeing the cauldron.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, look." He gestured over to where one of the men in black robes was bringing the king, a stringy, aging man with blond hair, a large knife on a pillow. "It's blood alchemy," the Doctor spat venomously. "The deceased will be of human blood only. Or the blood of the people in Xerxes' kingdom, I'm not sure which. Either way, we don't apply."

King Xerxes raised his head and began to give a speech. "Today, I will become immortal! Today, you will see…" The Doctor glanced at Lara, his keen eyes no longer dancing with adventure but narrowed in suspicion. "You understand, right, that they'll all die here. You understand, we can't pull them out. We can't save them, any of them."

"What about the Rockbells?" Lara whispered.

"The TARDIS will protect them, and our Gallifreyan blood will protect us. But everyone else…"

"And to my kingdom, a reign of everlasting peace and prosperity…" King Xerxes droned on.

"I know," Lara said, quietly.

"We can't interfere," the Doctor said.

"I know," Lara said again. Then she paused. "We can't just leave and go back to the ship? Can we leave this place now?" But she knew his answer before he spoke.

"What does your time sense tell you?" he asked.

"Until the country of Xerxes itself lives out its final days…" the King continued, as Lara thought.

"It's important that we stay," she admitted. She couldn't explain it, but the thought of leaving now made her feel like retching. It was more than just that she couldn't look away – truly, to the core of her being, she felt that leaving would not be right. The uncomfortable feeling, the feeling that had been with her since she came to Xerxes, the feeling of being a fluid point in a fixed event in time, was telling her with all certainty that she needed to stay, and that leaving now would make things go catastrophically wrong.

The Doctor nodded once, still focused on King Xerxes. He cut his finger, and a fat drop of blood fell into the cauldron. The moment it hit the mixture, the Doctor's head swiveled and his eyes met Lara's, and she felt him grasp her hand in his own.

It began with a hiss and a spark. Then smoke began to leak from the cauldron, horrible, black smoke, until the room was consumed. Lara could feel the dark smoke filling her lungs, her eyes, her head, everywhere. Lara could dimly see the smoke solidifying, as if in a grotesque horror movie, into long, black hands, like tendrils. The room then took on an eerie red glow, and the tendrils began to wind together from all corners of the room.

Lara was only dimly aware of the Doctor dragging her out of her seat. "Time to go," he whispered, pulling her close and hauling her out the door. They narrowly avoided one of the tendrils, and as one the two of them ducked behind the doorway.

"This is immortality? No, no, you must be wrong!" King Xerxes shouted to the room at large. "No, no! I don't understand it!"

After that, the best way Lara could think to explain it was that the souls were being wrenched from the bodies of everyone in the room. It looked a bit like they were choking, but it seemed to be a longer process. Lara and the Doctor watched, horrified, as long black tendrils seemed to suck the life out of each body. She saw the looks in their eyes when their soul left them, when life left them, and they fell over, a husk.

The King was last, and he looked, accusingly, at the one figure in the room still standing, the blond man holding the flask with the dark mass. "You said if we were in the center of the circle we wouldn't be harmed!" he screamed. The Doctor squeezed her hand then, and hissed in her ear. The blond man holding the flask seemed as confused as Lara felt. "What's going on!" he said, shaking the flask.

Lara heard a horrible voice, then, and with a start she realized that this voice was coming _from_ the dark mass in the flask. The voice echoed off the walls like a cackle, and chilled Lara and the Doctor to the bone. "The _true_ center of the transmutation circle is right here, with me and my friend here."

Suddenly, a giant hole opened in the floor, and seemed to swallow up both the remaining human and the flask. A great gust of wind whipped around, careening through the large room and exploding through the windows, which shattered simultaneously. The Doctor grabbed Lara then, and held her to him, bracing her against the wall as the wind whipped behind them, his long coat flapping and threatening to drag them both away.

"He exchanged his kingdom for immortality!" the Doctor yelled to Lara bitterly, the on-coming storm flashing in his eyes. "He sacrificed all of those people! But he was double-crossed!"

Lara's mind swam for purchase with the wind and the undulating black masses. There was screaming in her head, so much screaming. It seemed to go on forever. The wind and the swirling must have gone on for hours, days, with the Doctor shielding her there, forcing her back against the wall, with that determined look on his face, half on-coming storm and half pure disgust. And then, everything went black.

When Lara awoke, the first thing that she noticed was that her head felt horrible. The second thing she noticed was that the sun was shining. She took a deep breath, and the Doctor's head swam into view. He had his fingers over his lips, and she understood that somehow, despite everything that had happened, the danger had not yet abated.

Lara sat up slowly, with the Doctor's help, and looked at her surroundings. They had moved since she had fallen unconscious, but not far – they were tucked behind a column just beyond the entrance to the wide basement room. "What happened?" she mouthed at him.

"Psychic overload," he whispered back, softly. "You passed out. Too much death, and pain. Your mind couldn't take it."

"I'm sorry," she whispered back.

He gave her a wan smile. "I'm not," he said. "It's one of the drawbacks of how psychically powerful you are. Are you okay now?"

Lara held her head, but other than the throbbing pain she seemed to be in one piece. It felt a bit like a hangover, and she closed her eyes against the bright light streaming in through all the windows. "I think so," she said.

Suddenly, the two of them heard a voice from inside the large room. "Majesty!" Lara and the Doctor peeked out from behind the crates to see that only the blond man in white robes was stirring. The flask was nowhere to be seen. Panicking, the blond man ran over to one of the men in black robes. "Master! Are you…" He felt for a pulse, then reeled back slightly. Then he ran from the room, right past Lara and the Doctor, who froze, pretending to be dead.

The blond man continued to wander around, clearly in shock, occasionally stopping to listen for pulses. Lara could see why – his friends, his companions, were scattered around the hallway, dead. He began to call out the names of his friends, fruitlessly, until he finally slipped out of sight.

The Doctor motioned for Lara to follow him quietly, and together they stalked the man through a narrow passageway and then out into the sunlight. All around them, the dead stared up at Lara and the Doctor with strange, hollow eyes. Lara fought the urge to retch, and she felt the Doctor squeeze her hand in reassurance. She could see when the reality of the situation hit the blond man, and his walk slowed to a shuffle as he slipped from their sight.

Suddenly, a voice rang out, and Lara realized horribly that the loud voice belonged to the dark mass in the flask. "It's no use," it said calmly, and the blond man started. "All of their souls have been taken from them." The Doctor pulled Lara against the wall, and the two of sagged down in the best "dead" position they could manage while still able to partially see the proceedings.

"Tell me," the disembodied voice rang out. "Your body. How is it feeling?" And then Lara saw the source of the voice, and stifled a gasp. Instead of the dark mass in the flask, a second blond man stood, identical to the first. This one was wearing sweeping regal robes, however, and his eyes were cold.

The panicked blond man saw his doppleganger as well. "It's me! Impossible."

"Using your blood, I created a receptacle for myself. You remember, of course, that your masters used your blood to help create me in the first place, back when you were just a slave? Finally, I can walk on my own two legs."

The first blond man was disbelieving, and shaking all over. "Are you… the homunculus in the flask? What's going on here? What is this? What have you done?"

"To thank you for your blood, I have given you a body that will live forever," the regal man said. Lara looked at the Doctor then, and knew he was thinking the same thing as she was: _the two horrible timelines!_

The regal blond man continued. "Focus your attention within yourself, Hohenheim." Lara heard the Doctor's small intake of breath next to her, and realized that he recognized the name.

Meanwhile, Hohenheim's eyes had widened, and he fell to his knees and grasped at his face as if to tear it apart. "You hear them, don't you?" said the regal blond man, previously the black mass in the flask. "The voices of all the people in this country who were offered in exchange for your immortality." He paused. "Well, half of the lives were for me, actually. I appreciate your cooperation, Hohenheim."

Hohenheim had bent over, sobbing, but suddenly he screamed, tearing from the room, running right past Lara and the Doctor without noticing them.

It was a good twenty minutes of running before the Doctor and Lara caught up with Hohenheim. The path he blazed through the streets was gruesome, and filled with the dead. Lara and the Doctor passed several buzzards picking at the corpses, and still the birds seemed to sing above them. It was a kind of surreal nightmare, and Lara couldn't wait to go home.

The silver lining of the situation was that Hohenheim led them within eyesight of the TARDIS before they caught up with him. When they did, they grabbed him by both arms and strong-armed him toward the blue police box. Lara was careful to never touch him with her skin – she knew her telepathy was too strong, and was afraid of this strange man who had absorbed so many souls. As for Hohenheim, though he initially looked shocked, it was a mark of how hopeless he must've been that he did not protest as he was forced into a blue police box by two strangers.

Of all of the people that had ever had the fortune of entering the TARDIS, Lara was willing to bet that none of them were less shocked than Hohenheim. He ignored the "bigger-on-the-inside" room entirely, and ran straight toward the still sleeping Rockbells. He felt their pulse. "They're alive!" he exclaimed, crying out with relief, "the Rockbells are still alive!" He sagged onto the floor next to the Rockbells, crying.

"I'm sorry we couldn't save more," Lara said softly.

It was only then that Hohenheim seemed to notice Lara and the Doctor, and he stared at them in wonder, clearly not quite sure what to think.

"I'm Lara, and this is the Doctor. And we're here to help."

Hohenheim looked up, hopefully. "Can you bring them back? Can you bring them all back?"

Lara looked at the Doctor, and there was a finality in his gaze that settled like lead in her stomach. He nodded solemnly at her, and she understood – he was giving her the reigns for once, making sure she made the right decision. He was training her, still, as she had requested, what felt like so long ago.

"I'm sorry," she said to Hohenheim softly, "but no."

Hohenheim wailed again, and moved closer to the Rockbells. "Can you kill me then? If you kill me, will it bring them all back?"

"No," Lara said, softly again, "I don't know if we could kill you, even if we wanted to. You're immortal. And even if we did, it wouldn't bring them all back.

Lara looked at the Doctor, and once again he nodded at her for confirmation. "I'm sorry," he said, to Hohenheim, "I'm so, so sorry. You've been turned into a Philosopher's stone." Hohenheim just looked at the Doctor, confused. "Your King-…" (and here the Doctor couldn't completely keep the bile out of his voice) "…-sacrificed his kingdom for immortality. But it backfired on him. I expect he did so under the directions of the black mass in that flask. What did you call him? Homunculus?"

Hohenheim nodded silently, and Lara said softly, "What was he?"

"I'm not sure," the Doctor said, "but he wasn't human." He gave Lara a pointed look and said, "We'll figure that out later.

"Meanwhile, instead of making King Xerxes immortal, he took the souls from the entire kingdom, except for you, and exchanged them for your immortality and his own."

"Why me?" Hohenheim choked, looking up pleadingly at the Doctor.

"Because it was your blood that helped create him," the Doctor said gently. "If it makes you feel better, it could have been anyone. It just happened to be you."

Lara thought about the two black, undulating timelines that continued for centuries. She thought about the other timeline, about what would have happened if she and the Doctor had stopped Xerxes' plan tonight, and thought she understood. If they had stopped Xerxes tonight, the homunculus in the flask would have perhaps been destroyed, only for another to be made later on. Perhaps this one would not have been as willing to share his immortality. Or, perhaps this homunculus would live on, buried or cast aside until one day, long after Hohenheim had passed, another ambitious king would again attempt immorality. Lara looked at the Doctor and nodded to show she understood.

"I thought the philosopher's stone was a myth," the Doctor said, "forged by the exchange of a thousand souls, forever powering the darkest evil. But I never dreamed it could be embodied by a human!"

Hohenheim looked down at his hands and groaned, the pain evident in his eyes. "I'm a monster! I'm the destroyer of my own people! I shouldn't go on living."

Lara waited for the Doctor to interject, but his face had turned suddenly stony, and he seemed rooted to the spot. Lara interjected instead. "You're not a monster," she told him. "You didn't want this to happen. This was not your fault. And… and you have a job to do." She leveled Hohenheim with a stare.

"What can I do?" Hohenheim wondered softly, looking up at Lara and the Doctor hopelessly.

Lara's words seemed to have brought the Doctor back from a daydream. "Alchemy," he said. "I'll give you a few books on it. One of which is written by you, actually. Actually, on second thought, I suppose I should just give you the rest of them and let you draw your own conclusions." Hohenheim raised an eyebrow at this comment, but didn't protest. Lara had the feeling that Hohenheim's brain wasn't firing on all cylinders yet, and she honestly couldn't blame him.

Hohenheim was about to say more when the Doctor continued. "You and the homunculus, you'll shape destiny for a good, long time. And if I'm right – which I usually am, because I'm brilliant – the homunculus will try to repeat what has happened today."

That got Hohenheim's attention. _That_ , she could tell, he understood, and she saw fire in his eyes for the first time since she had seen him up close. "He can't!" he exclaimed.

"Even the philosopher's stone has a limit," the Doctor said, "I understand the basic principle, I think, and eventually – not today, not tomorrow, not even next century, but eventually – he will need more souls to remain immortal. He must be destroyed. And you, my friend, must see that this comes to be."

"How?" Van Hohenheim asked him.

"I'm not sure," the Doctor admitted, "but I know that you will, with the help of others." He gazed pointedly at the Rockbells. "I know you think you're a monster, and I understand why," he said. A haunted look came into his eyes, and Lara thought for a second that she would like to hug him, but resisted the urge. "But no matter what, for the sake of the future, don't be afraid to love."

Doctor POV

The Rockbells and Van Hohenheim had been dropped off safely in what would later become the country of Amestris. Then, the Doctor and Lara had boarded the TARDIS once more. There was one more stop, however, before it was time for Lara to return home.

"Van Hohenheim eventually marries a woman called Trisha Elric, and they have two boys, Edward and Alphonse. Van Hohenheim, the Elrics, and the Rockbells are all essential in eventually vanquishing the homunculus, thousands of years in the future," the Doctor explained to Lara. He could no longer feel the sense of wrong-ness that had guided him in Xerxes, and knew that Lara was feeling better as well now that the timelines were once again on track.

"Where are we going now?" Lara asked him.

"Now?" he said, opening the door onto a bright, sunny Amestris day. "Now, we're doing to say farewell to a very, very old man."

Van Hohenheim was kneeling in front of a grave, and had not yet noticed them. Though he had not aged a day since they had last seen him, the Doctor could tell that he was on the brink of death. He Doctor noticed that there were now hairline fractures all over the old man's face, as though he was made of glass and the glass was breaking slowly; more appeared as he continued to watch. Hohenheim raised his head and noticed the Doctor and Lara, and the Doctor was startled most by his eyes. His eyes were like the Face of Boe, or Clairvoya or, the Doctor realized, like he himself – staggeringly lonely and weary, the last of his kind.

"It's fitting that you should be here now," Hohenheim said, smiling wanly. "Perhaps you aren't even really here, just a figment of an old man's imagination."

"Would it matter?" the Doctor asked the old man kindly.

"In the end, I suppose not," Hohenheim said. He gestured toward the grave in front of him. "My wife, Trisha. I fell in love, like you said. She gave my life meaning again, and just in time."

The Doctor could see a small tear forming on Lara's cheek. "The homunculus is finished."

Hohenheim nodded. "It is done. I can pass on, now, I think. I'm so very tired. I haven't felt tired in years, except perhaps of living. It feels wonderful."

Hohenheim fixed the Doctor with a stare. "I never got to thank you, Doctor, for being there in my darkest hour."

"That's what we do," the Doctor said, "we take care of people."

"Who takes care of you, Doctor?" Hohenheim asked. It had been an innocent question, but the Doctor had not expected it. Startled, he realized that he didn't have an answer.

"I do," Lara said, determinedly.

Van Hohenheim nodded. "So you have found love as well," he said, and closed his eyes. He looked so frail, so happy, then, that neither Lara nor the Doctor bothered to contradict him. "Fairwell, Doctor and Lara. You have helped me so very much." And a moment later, holding the Doctors' hand in one hand and Lara's hand in the other, the old man finally passed away.


	25. Chapter 24: Room in a Hotel in NYC

Author's Note: These chapters may have been based on a Fallout Boy song that seemed to fit...

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, unfortunately. He belongs to the BBC.

 **Chapter 24: There's a Room in a Hotel in New York City…**

The Doctor was back to visiting Lara and Billy once each week – not only one week in their time, but one week in his time as well. The main reason for this was the TARDIS. She had made clear her position on the issue of his feelings for Lara – she would allow him a week of solo travel, and no more. After a week passed in the Doctor's time, if he did not return to Lara and Billy's apartment to summon them for an adventure, the TARDIS began to plague both his dreams and his waking self with the same images as if on a loop.

Lara, dressed as she was when they first met, leaned over the Doctor as he tinkered with the TARDIS. "The clients needed me. Helping them is the only thing that can distract me from my panic attacks, anyway."

The Doctor looked scathingly at the hologram, which immediately flickered into the Doctor himself. "Don't be afraid to love."

Oh for Rassilon's sake!" the Doctor exclaimed, throwing up his hands in agitation. "Alright! I'll go!"

He was beginning to feel as though he was no longer in control of this situation.

Lara, meanwhile, was only just starting to recover from her journey to Xerxes. It had been horrible to see all that death, and Lara felt that it had helped her understand why the Doctor so desperately wanted her to change back into a human. He usually only took her on the "fun" trips, but trips like Xerxes were more normal for him than he liked to admit – she could see that, now.

Worse, just as he seemed to be coming around to the idea of her being Gallifreyan, she had begun to have her first seeds of doubt about the idea. Still, like with therapy, the idea of making a difference in the lives of so many made the difficulties and the tragedies pale in comparison. If anything, learning more about what it meant to become Gallifreyan had made her more resolute, not less.

Lara POV

"New York City, 1996!" exclaimed the Doctor. "It's the hey-day of TRL with Carson Daly, and still before the two towers fell!" Lara rolled her eyes at his excitement. She was thrilled to be in New York City, however the surroundings did not look like New York City at all. The street the TARDIS had parked on was almost deserted, though a car whizzed by from time to time. It was nighttime, and the buildings and shops crammed in on either side of the wide street were dark and abandoned. The only light other than the street lights came from a building near the end of the street.

The Fallout Hotel looked busy, and several cars were parked in the lot. There were no valets, however, and no noise coming from inside, not even cheesy elevator music. It gave Lara an uneasy feeling. Quietly, she asked, "Doctor? Why are we really here?"

The Doctor turned, looking arrested, but grinned. "Distress call. Very mysterious! Came in this morning, from this time and place."

"It came on the TARDIS phone?" Billy asked.

"Yup!" the Doctor exclaimed, popping the p.

"And we're gonna go check it out?" Lara clarified.

"Yup!" the Doctor answered, grinning.

Lara rolled her eyes. "After this we're going to Times Square," she said.

The Doctor didn't answer, but carefully opened one of the double doors to the Fallout hotel, holding it open for Billy and Lara to follow him. The lobby was entirely abandoned, and eerily silent. On the outside the Fallout hotel looked modern, but on the inside it looked as though it jumped out of the early 1900's. The tables were a deep, polished wood, and the red wooden couches looked stiff and uncomfortable.

Lara realized with a start when she looked back at the Doctor that the door had vanished. "What the heck?" yelled Billy, who had also seen it.

"Yes, I thought that might happen," the Doctor said. Billy turned toward him, glaring, but Lara just rolled her eyes again. The Doctor shrugged by way of explanation. "Abandoned, creepy hotel, looks like it's from a different century? The door was gonna slam shut behind us and lock. The door disappearing is just another version of that."

"So what now?" Billy asked.

"Allon-sy!" the Doctor yelled.

They had been walking for hours, and they were trapped. Lara wasn't sure who had sent the distress call, because there was literally no one around. The rooms were all locked shut, and there were no keys in sight. The Doctor, Billy, and Lara had even attempted to open the doors by force, but none would open. Even the sonic screwdriver seemed helpless against all of the actual rooms, although it did allow them to enter a few linen and cleaning closets along the way. The Doctor had scanned over every imaginable surface of the hotel with the sonic screwdriver, but everything appeared normal apart from the room doors being deadlock sealed and there being no doors to the outside.

Food was freely available on a refreshment counter, however there were no cooks in sight. Actually, the refreshments seemed to reappear in all of the dishes as soon as their backs were turned. "It won't let us in, and it won't let us out," Billy said, "But it gives us food and water… what does it want us to do, walk around until we die of boredom?"

Finally, after 12 hours of searching, the three decided to bed down for the night. Billy and Lara made their beds out of some pillows and blankets they found in a broom closet. The beds were made side-by-side in the hallway right next to the lobby, while the Doctor kept watch. Lara rarely slept, but she at least tried to lie down for awhile each day to put Billy at ease, and to feel more normal. Today, however, she felt unnaturally tired, and fell into a deep sleep almost at once.

When Lara woke up a short while later, she knew immediately that something was wrong. First, she registered through her bond that Billy was no longer by her side. Second, she looked up, facing the open lobby, and realized with a start that the door to the outside had reappeared. Finally, Lara whipped around, and was horrified by the sight that met her eyes. Two doors had opened, on either side of the long hallway. An eerie green light seemed to glow from inside each of them. On the left stood Billy, mesmerized, and slowly approaching one of the doors. Across the hall on the right stood the Doctor, in a similar predicament. "Stop!" Lara shouted, but neither seemed to hear her. She was already on her feet, darting after both men. Lara called to both men verbally, then called to Billy through her bond, but both men remained unmoved. Finally, with a last look at the Doctor, Lara slipped inside the room behind Billy, only seconds before the door shut.

Billy POV

Life was perfect. Why had he ever been worried? What a funny dream! Lara, a Gallifreyan? What had he been thinking! And imagine, imagine if his head hurt, all the time, like it did in the dream… what a terrible life! He was so lucky, and life was so perfect…

"That's not true, this isn't real, you know it's not!" said a voice in his head suddenly.

"Shut it," he told the voice, forming barriers in his head like Lara had taught him.

Lara… Lara was standing in front of him, beautiful and curvaceous and completely human. "Hey sexy, what's for dinner?" she asked. He suddenly felt an uncharacteristic pang of hurt, and it made him feel ashamed, though he didn't know why.

"She's not me, _I'm_ me, in your head, listen, listen through the bond! We're better than this, _you're_ better than this!"

Why did the voice continue? It was so annoying! And so totally wrong! Clearly, Lara was right in front of him-…"

The strongest feeling yet, of fear, washed over him then, and it staggered him. "Tell her she's not real, Billy! Tell her to leave you alone, and come back to me! Your life depends on it!"

But the Lara in front of him was undressing slowly, and staying with her seemed like a much better option than listening to the voices in his head.

He was wet. Why was his shirt wet? He hadn't been out in the rain.

"Billy please!" Still, the voice in his head would not stop. "Tell her to go away, just tell her you don't believe her! I love you, please! It's always been you, you idiot! If I have to choose, it'll always be you! I love you!"

Finally, the voice in his head became so loud that it blinded him, and the love and fear coming from the voice exploded through his senses. There was only one course of action now, because the voice was completely, totally, overwhelmingly - …"

"Lara!" And with a sickening sound like a plug being removed from a drain, Billy woke up. Reality came crashing down upon him, and he sat up straight. He instinctively put his arms around Lara, who was lying on top of him, her hands on his temples, eyes wide and wet.

"What in the hell?" he asked her, and whipped around slowly. He had been sitting on a regular-looking hotel bed. At the head of the bed, however, rather than pillows, was a gigantic, olive green tentacle. The tentacle seemed to come up through the bed and maybe even through the floor. As Billy watched, it turned brown and began to rot, eventually going limp. There was a brief pause, and then the entire room shook. Billy grabbed Lara and made for the door, closing it behind him with a slam and falling haphazardly to the floor.

"What the hell was that thing?!" Billy screamed to Lara, as the hotel finally stopped shaking.

"No time!" Lara said, jumping to her feet and grabbing Billy's hand again. "The Doctor!"

Billy was then pulled into the room across the hall, now unlocked.

Both Billy and Lara stopped short as they saw the Doctor lying prone on yet another bed, with a green tentacle attached to either of his temples.


	26. Chapter 25: Promises R Made, Hold On

Author's Note: I know it's been forever since I've updated. I've gotten pretty good at doing so once a month, but I got onto a Harry Potter kick, and then a Star Wars kick, and abandoned my beloved Doctor for awhile. Now I'm back, though, with a vengeance!

I don't know Doctor Who, or David Tennant, that's all BBC.

Chapter 25: Promises are Made if you Just Hold On

Lara POV

As the shaking started again, it occurred to Lara that freeing Billy from the tentacle must have affected the infrastructure somehow, and destabilized the motel. Further proof of this came when the TARDIS began to fade in and out next to the unconscious Doctor. "She's trying to lock onto us!" Lara yelled to Billy as the TARDIS wheezed, finally materializing completely.

Billy began to kick the tentacle attached to the Doctor's head, but Lara stopped him. "Don't bother, I already tried. They're too tough, and there's only one way to kill them." Lara gave him a pleading look, placing her hands on the Doctor's cheeks. Billy nodded slightly. Lara did not wait, but gave Billy a wry smile before closing her eyes and delving into the Doctor's mind.

Somehow Lara was not surprised to see herself there, with the Doctor, in his mind. The two of them were laying together on a blanket in a large, orange field. The view of the citadel was staggering, and Lara knew immediately that this must be Gallifrey. It was beautiful. Lara could hear the Doctor's sad song playing, the musical notes telling a story of horrible pain.

Before Lara could speak, the Doctor turned slightly and caught her eye.

Suddenly, everything went black, leaving only Lara and the Doctor. The Doctor looked at Lara, scratching the back of his neck. "I knew that was too good to be true."

Lara fixed him with a steely gaze and was about to speak when the Doctor cut her off. "One advantage of being a Time Lord… I can have this going on in one part of my mind, and you and I are still on Gallifrey in another." His voice broke on the word "Gallifrey." "Human minds are so limited. Multi-tasking is hard enough, but they're completely unable to multi- _think_. Everything just blurs together."

Lara stared at him. _Really? Now_ he was taking the time for a lecture on Gallifreyan biology? "You do know your brain is being eaten by a giant tentacle thing, right?"

But the Doctor made no moves. "My mind has registered that this is _one_ reality."

Lara stomped her foot in frustration. "Oooookay… so, can you, like, focus on _that_ reality for a minute, and tell me how the heck to free you?"

The Doctor thought for a second, as though this were a particularly difficult math problem. Lara had never seen him so relaxed, which, given the present situation, frustrated her to no end.

Finally, he said, "The Tentacula would recognize that creating an illusion wouldn't work for me, not completely. It wouldn't be able to prevent me from being susceptible to external stimuli, like it would for creatures without such developed minds. So, it would work even harder on appealing to my emotions instead. It would lower my motivation to pay attention to the reality that makes the most sense, which is the two of us here now. It would increase my emotions to the point where I have no choice but to seek the other reality, where I am truly happy."

"So how do I counteract it?" she asked immediately.

He shrugged. "The same way you would if I was human: pour some emotion into this reality."

Lara narrowed her eyes. This opened up a lot of possibilities. How long had the Doctor been closeted. How long had he been holding her prisoner? All this time he had refused to commit to a long-term relationship or even friendship, refused to discuss the future. All this time, she had been unable to give Billy all of herself, to give him the life he deserved while he was still alive, for the fear of losing forever her only connection to her people, to who she truly was. If only he would acknowledge his feelings, discuss their options, discuss their choices beyond this adventure. Instead, it was, "You should become human again. But, if you refuse, I'll see you in another week to once again attempt to convince you."

"So, you're telling me to discuss some emotions?" she asked carefully.

"I'll be honest with you, that other reality looks really good right now." He was more relaxed than she ever remembered seeing him before, with his hands behind his head, a grin on his face, and an amused challenge flashing in his eyes.

When asked later, Lara was never able to properly explain why she had become so furious. Maybe it was because of her frustration at being stuck between her human and Gallifreyan lives. Maybe it was her anger at him for being willing to give up this easily. Probably it was a direct result of how close she had come to truly losing Billy in the last room.

Regardless of the reason, however, fury and fear boiled up in Lara like never before. All this time she had been waiting on an excuse to scream at him, and here it was, freely given. In one stride, Lara had stepped forward and slapped him across the face.

"Fine. You want some emotion? I've got plenty. What the hell gives you the right?"

The Doctor reeled back, clearly shocked, but Lara had barely stopped for breath. "All I ever hear from you is, 'Blah, blah, blah, curse of the Time Lords! You don't want my life, Lara, last of the lonely Time Lords, Lara, blah, blah, blah!' But it's bullshit! You're scared, that's all it is! You've lost everything, and you don't ever want to feel that again! It's easier to put yourself up on a sacrificial alter, but you're not fooling anyone but yourself!"

As Lara screamed, she saw the Doctor get more and more red in the face. He interjected a couple of times, but she forged on until finally stopping for breath.

"How DARE you!" he screamed at her in his turn. "You've been Gallifreyan for, what, a year? Try a millenium! I don't do this because I _want_ to, I do this because it's the burden I bear! Because it's my fault there's no one else!"

But she fired back at him. It was like a cork had been pulled, and all of the things left unsaid for so long were now being said. "There's not gonna be anyone _to_ save if you don't wake up! Where has this life gotten you, 'Last of the Time Lords?' You're so lonely and miserable you're willing to throw away the universe for a daydream and a giant tentacle monster! Forget the Time War, the universe will burn because the Last of the Time Lords is a fucking masochist!"

The Doctor reeled back as though Lara had slapped him again. His voice turned soft, then, but no less terrifying, the on-coming storm burning in his eyes. "So what would you suggest I do?"

Lara lowered her voice as well. "Let me make my own choice about my species. Promise me you'll still be there when Billy is gone. Let me live with him, 'til death do us part, and then let me be Gallifreyan. We owe him that."

"The universe won't allow you to have your cake and eat it too," he spat.

"The universe isn't really giving us a choice," she said, steely.

Doctor POV

It was too much. There was the Lara under the burnt orange sky, smiling at him from under her dark lashes. She was perfect, and it was everything he had ever wanted, even though it wasn't real. Then there was the real Lara, who had exposed him raw, and made him feel naked as she glowered up at him. He could feel the TARDIS in his head, and Rose's voice: "Don't be afraid to love."

He could hear his own voice as well: "Never cruel nor cowardly. Never give up, never give in…"

He could feel the moment he broke, and fell to his knees. Somehow his mouth found hers, and she was everything. She was life, and she was air, and she was beautiful. The kiss was too long, and yet not long enough, and he was drowning in her…

She was right about everything…

And suddenly he was struggling for breath, and Lara was looking down at him, tears gleaming in her eyes. And the room was shaking as though they were in an earthquake, and he could already see plaster falling to the floor in the corner, behind Lara's head.

He grabbed her hand without a second thought, and the two of them jumped into the TARDIS. As the Doctor ran through the door and began pushing buttons furiously, he spared only a short glance for the rotten, dusty, and broken tentacle they left behind.

Lara POV

"What the hell was that thing?" asked Lara. They were floating in the vortex 10 minutes later, and the TARDIS had been kind enough to provide cookies and tea.

"Dream Tentacula," the Doctor said, rubbing the back of his head as he scurried around the TARDIS. "Close relative of the dream crab."

"Did we kill it?" Billy asked.

"Yup!" the Doctor said excitedly. "It's gone. The hotel would've been a large-scale perception filter... it'll be gone too, I imagine. Took a bit of the TARDIS with it, though. Looks like it was a bit of a bumpy ride in the end, and the Tentacula put up a good fight."

"Was that why she was having so much trouble locking on?" Lara asked.

"Yup!" he said, popping the 'p. "The Tentacula can't put the TARDIS in a dream state, but it did a pretty good job of confusing her regarding which room I was in at any given time. She overstretched herself a bit trying to get to me quickly. I've got to refill the fluid links, but it'll take me awhile to figure out where in Rassilon I put the extra mercury the last time this happened. Until then, we really ought to stay in the vortex. I've put the fluid links off far too long."

Lara understood that this was her dismissal, and it was probably for the best; Billy was looking a bit worse for wear, and he had been yawning for awhile now.

***Doctor Who***

Doctor POV

Since Lara had first become Gallifreyan, she had made a habit of seeking out the Doctor to talk the night following an adventure. Typically the Doctor picked up Lara and Billy in the early morning, so they had always needed a night to sleep before returning to that same time. These days, however, sleep was less of a necessity for Lara, so she typically spent the night after an adventure talking with the Doctor in the library.

Despite the Doctor's reservations about this tradition after their eventful afternoon in the hotel, the TARDIS forced the issue by refusing to allow him to open any doors except for the path to the library. Therefore, three hours later, the Doctor sat on his usual couch, pretending to read a book on French politics in the 18th century, while instead glancing irritably toward the door to the library.

Finally, Lara entered, plopping herself unceremoniously in her usual armchair and playing with a raveling hanging from the armrest.

"Next week we should go to Azure. Completely blue planet, you know-…"

"We're going to talk about the hotel." Typically Lara was blunt, but this was a new record, even for her.

He'd tried to run, but the TARDIS wouldn't let him. (He had a strong sense that Lara had asked her for this favor.) He'd tried to change the subject, but that hadn't worked either. Instead, he pouted. "I don't want to."

"I want to be with Billy. He is my husband, and I love him. I owe him that. I want to be with him, completely, while I still can, before he passes. I love traveling with you more than almost anything, Doctor. But I can't keep leaving him to swan off on adventures, and it's not fair to drag him with me for the rest of his life. You've taught me to value all life, especially humans, and it's not fair to Billy for him to continue to be the odd human out."

The Doctor opened his mouth to retort, but she held up a finger. "No, hold on. I have the talking stick."

He shut his mouth petulantly, and she continued. "I'm also Gallifreyan. And I'm not Gallifreyan because I think I owe you something, or because I don't want you to be the last Time Lord in existence, or because I think it's my responsibility, or because I think it might be fun or a laugh. I'm Gallifreyan because I'm Gallifreyan, and I've always been Gallifreyan at my core. It's not fair to deny me that, either."

Again, the Doctor opened his mouth, but Lara held up her hand once more. "Don't – _don't_ – try to pretend that you're okay on your own, because we both know that you're not. It might be different if I was asking you to let me live Billy's life with him while you wait, and then let me waltz back in after another 75 years or so, but I'm not. You have a time machine – you could get through that period in a few seconds. But if I do what needs to be done for Billy's sake and put this life on hold, I have no guarantee that you'll come back for me, do I? Even if you promise me that you will, you tell me all the time – the Doctor lies.

"And last but not least, Doctor, I am not – _not_ – going to become human again. That's just not going to happen. I don't want it, and we both know the TARDIS won't allow it unless I do want it. We also both know that as sharp as my telepathy is, I won't last more than a few days without mental contact after Billy passes. I won't be able to connect with just any human either, will I? As deep as my connection with Billy will be by then, the grief of losing that connection alone will kill me, won't it? You told me that when you explained the bond. You're the only one experienced enough with telepathy to even hope to get me past that." Lara narrowed her eyes.

She knew too much, he thought. She knew far, _far_ too much. She had him, and he knew it. He waited for her to go for the final blow. She had planned this speech, he knew.

"Would you have me die, Doctor? Would you allow it, rather than accept my company by your side?"

 _Would you once again kill off the last of your kind, this time out of negligence?_ That was what she meant, and they both knew it.

If he was honest with himself, he had always known this day would come. He had known, from the moment he saw the watch, that this day would come. She was simply too stubborn to be anything less than Gallifreyan, and too kind, too loyal, and too in love to continue to live out Billy's years traveling with the Doctor, living on adrenaline. It had been heading that way for awhile, he supposed… if he was honest with himself, he had always known that she would never agree to the chameleon arch, and he would never agree to leave her behind, once more abandoning the last of his kind.

As much of his reservations about the situation were related to him not wanting this life for Lara (or for anyone, for that matter), the truth of the matter, as he had always known, was… he was scared.

 _Never cruel nor cowardly._

"Rassilon," he sighed. A beat passed between them, and, finally, the Doctor's shoulders slumped. He smiled wryly at her, then, and said, with a soft smile, "I suppose there's not much else to say. I suppose, in that case… Allon-sy!"


	27. Chapter 26: Goodbyes

**Author's Note:** So I realized when I proof-read this that when I wrote this last weekend I was actually in a ridiculously dark place. So, I guess, mild warning. Also, I am happy to announce that my real-life Billy's headaches are cured; nerve blocks are truly a wonderful thing and we are very excited that he is once again a functioning human being. So yeah, the next chapter will probably be all happy.

Doctor Who's not mine, BBC, yeah yeah yeah.

Chapter 26: Goodbyes

The Doctor POV

After the adventure with the Tentacula, the Doctor did not see Lara again for six months, 23 days, and five hours, in his time. (In Lara's time, it had been only a week.) When he was sure the necessary preparations had been completed, however, he took Lara and Billy on their final adventure. "Everyone should go to Barcelona," he said jovially beforehand. "I can't believe we haven't been before, really."

Five days, one revolution against a current dictator, and one brand new pet later, the three returned to the TARDIS in a jovial mood. Three hours after that, however, when Lara joined the Doctor in the library for their usual chat, the mood was more subdued. They knew this was good-bye. Nosy, the dog with no nose whom Lara had claimed as her own in Barcelona, had settled down on the opposite couch and fallen into a deep sleep before the Doctor finally spoke.

"I've done some research, and I'm about 91.7% sure I can cobble something together to ensure you at least two regenerations. You won't be a full Time Lady, but you should have at least a couple of regenerations to go on." He frowned. "I have to warn you though, it'll be awfully painful to do things this way."

"Tell me more," Lara said, smiling wryly.

"Well, I've worked with the TARDIS, and I've done some research on Biblios, and of course Rago Rago Five Six Rago. Thank God that still exists, or I never would've had some of the resources I needed. They didn't have anything left about the Time Lords, of course - that was all time-locked. But, I was able to read between the lines enough to put together a basic theory. I think, and the TARDIS agrees with me, that if we use your psychic powers as a tether, run a feedback loop through the chameleon arch to reverse it, and infuse you with a precise combination of huon particles and gamma radiation, we should be able to give you at least two extra regenerations."

The Doctor proudly recognized the vague comprehension on Lara's face, and continued. "You followed that? Brilliant! Anyway, I still have to work out the exact formula and do some experiments, but the general prognosis has been good."

Lara smiled wryly. "It'll kill me though, won't it? The gamma radiation."

The Doctor nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I think that might be the only way." He wished his people were still around, and he wasn't forced to cobble together a Time Lady through jiggery-pokery. If the Time Lords had still been alive, they would call him a fool for even thinking of doing something like this. But, they weren't around to judge him anymore. Therefore, if he had figured out a way to create a partial Time Lady by reversing the chameleon arch and adding some radiation, so be it.

"I understand," Lara said, nodding, "But Billy will still take some work. He won't like the idea."

The Doctor nodded, and Lara continued. "He'll understand, though, in the end. He doesn't want to admit it, but he can feel that it's true. It's like you warned me it might be, before we made the bond: this version of me won't want to live without our bond, without him. As strong as my psychic powers are, it's as likely as not that the loss of our bond alone will kill me."

The Doctor nodded. "I've never had a bond like yours before. I've heard about them, but I've never had one myself." He pushed down the sharp jealousy at his words, and ignored the urge to put his arm around Lara on the sofa. "I've heard that once you lose a bond-mate, you lose part of the will to live, at least in the current regeneration. A new regeneration numbs the pain, allows you to go on… a new start, so to speak. In the days when my people had bond-mates, there were all kinds of stories about one bond-mate wasting away after the other passed, or else forcing a regeneration if they still had some left. That's why ultimately bond-mates fell out of style – it was considered wasteful."

"You always said they were a bit stodgy," Lara said, smiling up at him. Then her face turned serious. "You're sure I'll be able to regenerate?"

"Almost certainly," the Doctor said, providing his biggest smile. "It'll be painful though," he added. "Really painful. And, like I said, we'll have to… you'll have to…" The Doctor gave up that train of thought and tried a different one. "I mean, if you're worried about the pain, Lara, we could always send you the _normal_ way through the chameleon arch -…"

"Don't start," snapped Lara.

"You won't even have to remember-…"

"No," she said, and he accepted her answer. To be honest, he was a little relieved. Now that he'd finally agreed to this plan, he found he was quickly getting accustomed to it. How long had he been the only Gallifreyan… the last, lonely Gallifreyan… Still, he had had to try.

"I've also got a lifetime of headache pills Billy," the Doctor said, changing the subject. "And a new concoction, too, straight from the 42nd century. A lot of the factors that will age him have already been set in motion, but if taken daily, this pill should add at least an extra 25 years to his life."

Lara was silent for a second. "Thank you," she said, finally. "Thank you so, so much." She hugged him, then, and the hug lasted longer than it should've as they held each other. The Doctor tried to commit every sensation of this hug to memory, as though it was his last – her warmth, her smell, and feel of her breath on his chest.

***Doctor Who***

Billy POV

It was bittersweet, thought Billy. For nearly a year now, he had resented the Doctor to some extent. It wasn't fair, he knew that – Lara had always been Gallifreyan, and the Doctor had only inadvertently (and against his best efforts) assisted her in realizing this. Still, he resented the Doctor for the things that only he could share with Lara, and for the years they would have together after Billy passed.

At the same time, he also knew he may be the luckiest man on Earth for the time he had spent knowing the Doctor. He had been given an opportunity that no one – _no one –_ could even dream of. He had flown to other planets. He had seen giant robots fighting giant robots. He had toured the galaxy. He had single-handedly saved one planet, two continents and one village (and yes, he did keep track) through strategic decisions and ideas, and assisted in several other heroic moments. He had saved Lara on at least 23 occasions (20 during the first year, and 3 after she became Gallifreyan). He was rich, which was 50% due to his own strategic betting on robot wars on Quitessa and his friendship with Wreckage, and 50% due to a misunderstanding regarding the exchange rate of Quitessa currency to U.S dollars and his decision to capitalize on said misunderstanding.

Most of all, thanks to the Doctor's 25th-century headache pills, he was forever free from the chronic pain that had plagued him for two years of his life before meeting the Doctor. Sometimes, when he felt particularly angry with the Doctor, he "conveniently forgot" to take the headache pills. Typically on these occasions, it was only an hour or so before he once again "conveniently remembered."

And in the end, Lara had _still_ chosen him.

"Doctor," he said, in his turn. "I want you to know… I can't thank you enough."

"It's been my pleasure," the Doctor said, beaming.

"No, really," Billy said, holding his gaze. "You have no idea what it's meant to me. To see the things I've seen… and the headaches…" Words fell short. When the Doctor took his hand to shake it, however, Billy put something different into the handshake. As strong as he could, with everything that Lara had taught him, he projected his gratitude, for everything, and the thankfulness, for the years he would have for Lara.

Billy knew from his experiments with Lara and discussions with the Doctor that he would at best be able to send emotions, but he could tell by the shock in the Doctor's eyes that he had managed to get the general message across. The Doctor smiled, then, a genuine smile of pride that lit up his whole face. "Just do me one favor," he said, grinning.

"Yeah?"

"Take care of her," he said. "Take care of her, and take care of yourself. And have a nice life."

And Billy promised that he would.


	28. Chapter 27: Hellos

**Author's Note:** So Jack is totally my favorite character, aside of course from the Doctor and Rose. All in all, it was high time I brought him into things.

Jack and the Doctor and Rose are not mine, they're the BBC's.

Chapter 27: Hellos

Lara POV

It was the year 2105, and Lara had spent years planning for this moment. As much as she dreaded it, the planning had been necessary. Lara and Billy had adopted several children over the years, but they had all passed. Lara and Billy were all alone now. In fact, everyone they had known when she first became Gallifreyan had passed. She was beginning to understand how the Doctor had felt all those years, everyone he had known having passed on. She had a few grandchildren spattered across the United States, but she saw them infrequently enough to be able to mask her lack of aging with a bit of makeup. She'd been forced to take on the habit of aging herself through make-up over 60 years ago, and it had certainly paid off. Moving to a tiny house in Florida 40 years ago had been a huge help as well

Zayah, who had been the last of her children and the last one to know her secret, had died 7 years past, and Billy had begun to take a turn for the worse only a year after that. It was then that Lara had begun to plant the seeds of her plan in the heads of her grandchildren. "Do you know, when Billy passes, I'm just going to disappear: wander off, and you'll never see me again."

Even at the service that morning she had looked for ways to sneak her plan into conversation. "Do you know, I think I'll go to Barcelona. It's nice this time of year… No, no, I don't need anyone to come and stay with me. You know how I like to be on my own. It will be easier to travel now, is the bright side… maybe I'll take that tour of England I've been looking into… Yes, thank you for the flowers. No, I'm really fine… You know how I've always wanted to see more of the world. I've booked tickets for France tomorrow… You never know, maybe I won't drive back to Florida tomorrow, maybe I'll just go to space…"

The service had been held in Wisconsin so that Billy could be buried near his parents, but Billy and Lara had been living in Florida for years. Lara's grandchildren didn't know, however, that the contents of her will were scheduled to be delivered to their houses next week, or that their house in Florida had been sold to a new owner 3 weeks past.

And now that the service was over, the pain that had been threatening to overwhelm Lara for the past 3 days broke through the barriers she had erected, and she drowned in it.

Doctor POV

Three months, 2 days, 8 hours, 20 minutes, and 47 seconds later, the Doctor received THE CALL. It was, as he had suspected, immediately after he had completed the final calculations regarding Lara's regeneration (and saved most of the planet of Kletchton, because that had come up in the middle of things).

"Doctor… I… Doctor…" and then the line went dead. Both of his hearts began to thud as he slammed the TARDIS into gear, tracing the call immediately to her location: May 5, 6:30 PM, 2105, in Wisconsin. It had been nearly a century in her time.

The Doctor found Lara in a small hotel in Wisconsin, breathing rapidly with her hands on her head. "It hurts," she whined as he raced out of the TARDIS and scooped her up. "There's no one there. Make it stop!"

The Doctor wasn't sure if Lara sensed that she was in his arms or not, as she gave no signs of recognition. He set her on the jump seat of the TARDIS and put his hands on her face, delving slowly into her mind, and feeling only her white-hot pain and grief. "I'm going to do the chameleon arch regeneration transformation, like we discussed," he said.

"Doctor," said Lara's voice, faint now. "The pain… make it stop… like you said…"

"It's going to hurt," he said. "A lot."

"Physical pain… much easier… than this…" And he could see that she was right. It was this truth, perhaps, that allowed him to sit through the next 71 seconds of the chameleon arch without running up and ripping it off of her head. She screamed in agony, and his heart wrenched. He paced around the console, trying to focus on anything, _anything_ , but the screaming. And finally it stopped, and she slumped onto the floor, unconscious.

The Doctor moved toward her, but just as he reached her he saw the golden glowing, and he staggered back quickly, just in time. The explosion of her regeneration shot a hole straight through the top of the TARDIS console and down through the floor, giving the Doctor a birds'eye view of the swimming pool below. Suddenly the sound of the cloister bell rent through the air. The Doctor had barely enough time to drag Lara out of the

TARDIS, gasping from the smoke, before the doors slammed shut behind them. It would be several hours, even days, before he could enter the TARDIS again, he supposed.

It was only then that he had a chance to get a good look at Lara, who was still unconscious in his arms. She was thin, much thinner than before, with raven hair down to her waist. Scraps of her black dress hung off her, barely protecting her modesty, and making him blush despite the dire situation. He laid her slim form delicately onto the hotel room bed, covering her with a cream-colored sheet. Then he climbed into the bed next to her and, once again, delved into her mind.

It was like the first time he had gone into her mind. His own mind, full once more of cobwebs and dark corners, exploded with light to the point that it was painful for both of them. The garden landscape of Lara's mind was shifting, molding itself into something different. Lara (the new, raven-haired Lara) was hanging desperately from a tree in her own mind as the landscape shifted around her, clearly terrified. "Doctor!" she cried out, terrified, and the sound echoed despite the noise of the shifting landscape.

He went to her, floating quickly across her mind, clasping her hand in his. "Don't fight it," he said, trying to keep calm though the pain of it was nearly intolerable. "You're trying to fight it. Stop holding onto who you used to be. Let the tree go. Let it all go. Close your eyes, and hold onto me." And finally Lara let go, and the pain dulled to an aching throb. The Doctor held Lara in his arms, then, bracing her against the shifting landscape and lending her his strength until the process was over.

***Doctor Who***

Doctor POV

The Doctor stayed with Lara like this for one day, 22 hours, and 19 minutes – even longer, the Doctor thought, then it had taken his 10th self to heal from his regeneration after absorbing the time vortex. He left Lara's side only to continue to make arrangements with the hotel, and to shoo away housekeeping.

Lara's new mind was very black and white – elegant and compartmentalized, with large gilded doors and white marble columns. He could already tell that this version of Lara was very different than her last regeneration, though the same in essentials. Where the previous Lara had favored languages, nature, and sciences, this regeneration favored math and was far more materialistic. This Lara would be the type of woman who would take 5 suitcases with her on the TARDIS and expect the Doctor to carry them all. Though she was on the surface more tactful, she was also, he could tell, far more caustic than her previous regeneration when angered or irritated. While her first regeneration reminded him so much of Rose, this regeneration reminded him remarkably of Donna.

Still, many of the Rose-like characteristics were present as well. This regeneration was uncharacteristically kind, and was also far more limber and dexterous than the last. Materialistic she may be, but the Doctor had a feeling Lara would be no less jeopardy-friendly in this regeneration than her last, and would probably do so in heels.

It also occurred to the Doctor that he really couldn't remember the last time he felt this good. Not only was his mind full of color and life again, like it was when his people were still alive, but this time he no longer had to feel guilty about it. He was free to mentally connect with Lara whenever she agreed, which, with her powerful telepathy, would probably be necessitated frequently. He could get used to this, he _really_ could.

" _You're happy_ ," she told him, turning up toward him inside her head, her long lashes fluttering, and he felt both of his hearts beat faster.

 _You made it through,_ he answered.

When Lara met his eyes, however, the Doctor was startled to see that they were silver. He should've expected it, perhaps, but suddenly he felt her break through his carefully constructed barriers. It wasn't painful, but it surprised him so much that he jumped, and she mentally pulled back, though they didn't disconnect.

" _Sorry_ " she said, " _It's… stronger, even, than it was before. I didn't mean to… I'll have to work on that."_

 _"_ _It's fine",´_ the Doctor said, _"It might take you a few days to gain control of this body, as well. You're newly regenerated… you'll automatically test your limits."_

 _"_ _Sorry,"_ Lara said again, then, as though she couldn't stop herself, _"Doctor, you've been so lonely."_

The Doctor looked back at her sparkling eyes, then broke eye contact, ashamed.

 _"_ _It's okay,"_ Lara said again. _"You don't have to be lonely anymore. I'm here, and I don't ever want you to feel like that again. I don't ever want to feel like that, either. You can connect with me, whenever you like… it's freely given."_

He smiled at her then, a shy smile, but he couldn't have been happier. So long, he had wanted. So long he had ached, and he would never have to ache again. " _Your eyes… they're like Clairvoya…"_

And then, abruptly, Lara disconnected with him completely. "My eyes!" she exclaimed, hastening over to the mirror in the hotel bathroom to look at herself. The Doctor, whose mind seemed to be working slower than usual, realized that the abrupt departure had been caused by her breaking skin contact with him in her eagerness to see what she looked like. "Oh my God, my _hair!"_

The Doctor reluctantly stood up and followed Lara to the bathroom, knowing that this might be awhile. "I always wanted hair this long!" she said, looking in the mirror slowly. Now she had turned almost haughty. "Look, I can whip my hair now!" And she whipped her hair backwards around her shoulder. "I'm so thin!" She then let out a very un-Lara-like giggle. "Lucky I was wearing this dress, or pants would've fallen off of me. Actually… Doctor, can I make a trip to the TARDIS wardrobe?"

The Doctor, laughing, followed Lara inside the TARDIS and to the wardrobe. He was pleased to see that his ship had made full repairs to herself after Lara's regeneration. As the Doctor had suspected, Lara chose a set of white 3 inch stiletto heels, and still only came up to his shoulders. A black and white dress suited her slim figure, and she added large hoop earrings. "I'm so glad my ears are still pierced!" she said, smiling widely. "I was wondering if I'd be able to keep-…"

But the Doctor and Lara were cut off as the TARDIS gave an almighty lurch and began spinning out of control. "What the-…" screamed Lara. The Doctor ran back into the console room and picked up a large mallet, with which he began beating on some buttons on the console.

"What are you _doing,´_ for the sake of all that's-…"

"Doctor," Lara said, glancing at the screen. "There's a man holding onto the TARDIS! Oh my God, I think he's still alive!" But the Doctor, more tuned to the timelines than Lara, had already known this, could already feel the unsettling twinge that he felt in the presence of only one man.

"Really, girl," he said, giving the TARDIS one last almighty _BANG_ with the mallet before placing both hands on the coral to beg her with his mind, " _Last_ time we went to the _end of the universe_ and he _still_ followed us. Just _set_ us _down!"_

Finally, the TARDIS let out an almighty lurch and a scream like nails on a chalkboard, and landed with a _thump._

Lara looked at the Doctor for clarification as silence fell, but it didn't last long. _Thump thump thump thump. Thump thump thump thump._ Someone was knocking on the TARDIS door.

Lara looked once more at the Doctor for clarification, and he resolutely trudged over to the door. "Lara Nelson," he said, swinging the door wide. "I'd like you to meet Captain Jack Harkness."


	29. Chapter 28: Jack Harkness

**Author's Note:** Including Captain Jack has been a plan for awhile, and I'm so glad I'm finally able to include him properly. Hopefully I have done him justice. There's all sorts of things I plan on doing with the dynamic between the 3 of them, but this chapter had to include a lot of exposition instead, so it got extra long.

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who and I definitely don't own David Tennant. If I did, I would be able to pay to go see him when he comes near me in August at a con.

Chapter 28: Jack Harkness

Lara POV

The man standing in the doorway was one of the most handsome men Lara had ever seen, in a completely classic way. He had a classic chin and was tall and muscely with dark hair, with just a few grey strands. Lara's grief for Billy had dulled significantly through her regeneration – not so much that she didn't still think of him constantly, but enough that she could appreciate a handsome man when she saw one. He was not, she thought, so handsome to her as the Doctor, but she had always liked tall skinny men and not the classically handsome type. Billy had been the same, and that much didn't seem to have changed with the regeneration.

"Doctor, who is this?" Jack Harkness said, walking toward Lara and holding out his hand.

"Don't start," the Doctor said, rolling his eyes. Apparently this was normal behavior for Jack, then.

He felt wrong. So wrong, something she felt deep in her bones. He reminded her of the homunculus and of Van Hohenheim, back in Xerxes. His entire being felt wrong, and yet the Doctor did not appear to be threatened. She looked at the Doctor, instinctively drawing away from the new man.

"What'd I do?" he asked, also looking at the Doctor.

The Doctor fixed Jack with a knowing stare. "She's time-sensitive, Jack, like me. She can feel it."

Jack, looking shocked, retracted his hand. "You're not… Doctor, she's not…"

"She's Gallifreyan, yes," the Doctor said, and Lara could hear the hint of pride in his voice, mixed with no small amount of guilt.

"But Doctor, that's wonderful!" said Jack, running to the Doctor to hug him. "That's wonderful for you!"

The Doctor's face was a mix of happiness and guilt, and, Lara thought, a warning to the other man. It was very subtle, and Lara almost missed it flash briefly across his face, but it was there nonetheless.

"So, Jackey old boy, what is it this time? I thought you had it pretty good with Torchwood." The Doctor began to inspect the TARDIS, walking slowly around the console.

"That was ages ago, Doctor," said Jack. "I've lived through nearly a century since then. And I'm _bored._ " Jack stopped short in front of a large row of buttons on the console. "Here's your problem, Doc. Your energy projection circuit's broken."

"Probably because _someone_ held onto my ship and wouldn't let go," the Doctor snapped back good-naturedly. "It's barely recovered from the _last_ time you did that."

"Don't blame me for what I am," Jack said, raising his eyebrows indignantly and picking up the large mallet. "Besides, if you hate traveling with me that much, you'll be more likely to acquiesce to my request." Lara watched the two of them, but it was difficult to tell how much of their conversation was witty banter and how much of it was serious. She had a feeling both of them liked it that way.

"Which is?" the Doctor asked, stealing the mallet from Jack's open hand and slamming it forcefully against the console. The console made a wheezing sound, but otherwise nothing seemed to change.

"Take me off world, Doctor," Jack said. "I've seen everything on Earth. Like I said, I'm bored, but it'll be another 100 years before humans invent a way to leave the Milky Way."

The Doctor hit the console again with the mallet, and it gave another wheeze. "Might as well have a look around," the Doctor muttered. "Force field's broken. If we were in a place with a dangerous atmosphere, I could still redirect enough power to get us through the vortex safely to somewhere safe, but the atmosphere here seems okay. Might be able to get parts here and fix her."

"Fine by me," Jack said, smiling a toothy grin at Lara and winking. "I have all the time in the world."

"Don't start," the Doctor said, without looking at them.

Lara took a seat on the jump seat, folding her legs under her. It occurred to her that her last regeneration would have already demanded to know what was going on. This regeneration, however, appeared more patient and able to let things play out in their turn.

"-should have some parts I can cobble together in town somewhere," the Doctor was saying. "Should be easy enough. We're on-…"

"Trion," Jack finished. "Long time ago, though. Eighteen hundred apple… after civilization began, but before it flourished and then collapsed again."

"You've spent time there?" asked the Doctor.

"I had a couple of missions in my Time Agent days. Nothing that took too long."

The Doctor's gaze lingered, but he shrugged. "Might as well explore," he said finally, and the three of them headed for the door.

They were met by a forest, though the road was only a short way away at a closer look. The road was wide and made of dirt, and went far into the distance in both directions. It ran parallel with a train track, which exited into a train station down the road to the east. The train station was the only building in site. "Trains!" the Doctor exclaimed. "I love trains! Don't know where we're going, but I love trains!" He grabbed Lara by the hand, pulling her forward, but not before she caught the roll of Jack's eye.

The train station was barren except for a lonely attendant, who only briefly glanced up from his book. "Train doesn't come in for fifteen minutes," said Jack, looking at a schedule on the wall. "And this is the last stop." There were, apparently, only two towns nearby the train station, Donderly and Lorrelley. The town of Lorrelley was crossed out.

"What happened to Lorrelly?" Lara asked the Doctor in a quiet voice.

"Eighteen hundred apple… they were wiped out, by the Vikings," said the Doctor.

"The Vikings?" Lara asked.

"There are Vikings on every planet," Jack explained. Then he nudged the Doctor. "Don't look now, Doc, but we're expected."

Lara and the Doctor swung around and, sure enough, a rather plump man with a handle-bar mustache was sidling up, holding up a sign: "The Doctor and Company."

"Over here," Jack said, waving at the man, who seemed somewhat out of breath.

"Are you the Doctor?" the plump man asked Jack, breaking into a wide grin.

"No, that would be him," Jack said, gesturing to the Doctor, who stuck out his hand to shake it.

"Absolutely splendid to meet you!" he said. "We're so happy to have you… but… how did you get here before the train?" The man with the mustache asked.

"Took an earlier one," the Doctor said easily.

"Oh, but you must've been waiting hours!"

"It was no matter," Jack said, giving the man his biggest smile. Lara had to admit it: Jack was _good_ at this. "Could you tell me again your name? I should know it, but it's suddenly completely escaped me."

"Of course, of course!" the man said. "I'm Mayor Don Mawr, Mayor of Donderly. And you must be Jack, and Lara!"

Jack nodded.

"Well, there's no reason to delay, then. You must be anxious to get to your new home and have a lie-down. It's nearly dark, you know. If you don't mind, if you could just let me use the loo, we'll be on our way back across the river." And Mayor Don Mawr waddled off to the restroom, which was on the other side of the train station.

"Doctor," Jack said under his breath, "Please tell me you didn't just land the TARDIS right before the Battle for Donderly."

"Battle for Donderly?" Lara asked the Doctor.

"Fixed point," the Doctor muttered under his breath. "The Vikings will come in 3 weeks."

"A fixed point?" Lara asked in alarm. "But..." she grasped the Doctor's hand. _"How come I didn't realize?"_

 _"_ _It's Jack_ ," the Doctor said. Lara looked at the strange man, then quickly looked away. _"Jack himself is a fixed point_ ," the Doctor finished. _"It messes up your time sense._ " The Doctor did not meet her eye.

Just then, the Mayor emerged once again from the restroom. "Well, let's be on our way then," he said.

A small pontoon boat with one crewman awaited them. The crewman had pale skin and two hoops in either ear. He gave no sign of recognition or acknowledgment of the Mayor, but immediately started the boat as soon as the party was seated. "You'll love the island of Donderly," the Mayor said, with false bravado. "We're very proud of our lakeside shoppes, and the tourism this time of year is typically booming…" The Mayor went on like this for the entirety of the ride, and Lara tuned him out, lost in her own thoughts.

After they docked the boat, the Mayor led the three others to a vehicle which loosely resembled a station wagon, except that it was far bigger and more precisely rectangular. It was also driven by a pale man with two earrings. Once again, the driver gave no acknowledgement of their presence, but began driving the carriage as soon as they were settled. Still, the mayor droned on. "And a schoolteacher!" he said, looking closely at Lara. "We haven't always put a high importance on education, but given the situation, perhaps it is time."

Finally, the carriage came to a neighborhood of tiny cottages. "Right, well, this is where I leave you," Mayor Don Mawr said finally. They had pulled up to one of the smaller cottages. "I'll leave you to unpack. We're so happy to have you here, Doctor! I'm sure you'll have all kinds of important ideas, being such an influencial figure in the big city. You'll be looked on with reverence at the meeting tomorrow. Any assistance we can have in defeating the Vikings is most welcome!"

"Sorry, the meeting tomorrow?" the Doctor interjected.

"Didn't I say?" responded the Mayor, though Lara got the distinct impression that he had been purposefully saving this piece of information for last. "Nine o'clock sharp tomorrow morning at the town hall. We'll be sharing ideas about how to defeat the Vikings. As I said, we're looking forward to your expert opinions."

Jack grinned at the Doctor, who was looking as though he'd tasted something foul. The Mayor, clearly taking Jack's grin as a sign of acquiescence, grinned back. "Anyway, Bino will see to your every need," the Mayor said. "Just ask." And with that, the Mayor signaled to his driver, who drove off in a flourish.

Bino, as it turned out, was a young pale female with two hoop earrings. A long plait fell down her back, and she wore a plain blue uniform skirt and top. She did not meet their eye, nor did she acknowledge their presence. When the Doctor walked closer and began to look at her, however, Lara noticed that a blush colored her cheeks.

"You must be Bino," the Doctor said.

"Yes, Sir," the girl said, continuing not to look at him.

"You can look at me and speak to me," he said kindly.

If a blush was coloring her face before, Bino was bright red now, but smiling. "Yes sir! It is so good to know that you are one of the Progressives!"

"Progressives?" the Doctor asked.

Bino backtracked immediately, downcasting her eyes again. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-…"

"What's a Progressive?" the Doctor interrupted.

Bino looked up at him tentatively, and Lara could tell she was choosing her words carefully.

"They believe that us… that the Chi-Chi-Gi… should have rights, like the Donderlies."

"Oh!" the Doctor said, splitting into a wide grin. "I believe the Chi-Chi-Gi should have completely equal rights! You were here first, after all! And someday, you will! Just wait, you'll be able to eat the same foods, and make the same money, and everything! So yes, call me a Progressive!"

Bino's face split into a wide grin at that, and she said, "How may I help you tonight, Doctor?" She looked him in the eye once again, and Lara thought it might have been the first time that she'd ever said those words in such a genuine manner.

"If you could just let me know where we'll be staying, I think that should be it for tonight," the Doctor said.

Bino smiled widely again, and gestured to the three to follow her through the small cottage. There were two bedrooms, each with a king bed. "One for Mr. Jack Harkness, and one for Mr. and Mrs. John Smith," Bino stated.

"Oh, we're not-…" the Doctor started, but then seemed to catch himself. "Not, ah, in need of such wonderful accommodations," he finished, and Bino beamed again and continued to talk.

Jack moved in close to Lara as the Doctor followed Bino into the bedroom, where she pointed out the amenities. "If you can't tell, their industry is a bit more evolved than their social progressiveness. Single women sleeping in the same cottage as un-related single men isn't unheard of, but it won't score us any points later." Lara nodded.

"Are you sure I can leave for the night, then?" Bino was saying to the Doctor. "My Master wasn't specific as to how long I was required to stay, but I do have someone – I mean, some _thing_ I'd like to get to…" Lara noticed that Bino was blushing again.

"No, certainly!" the Doctor said. "You're young! Have fun! Be merry, and enjoy it!"

Bino grinned again. "I'll be back to pick you up tomorrow at 8:30 for the meeting, then, Sir, if you'd like."

"That would be wonderful!" the Doctor said. "Have a nice night!"

And Bino, still grinning, bounced out the door.

As soon as she was gone, the Doctor's face fell. "Chi-Chi-Gi," he explained to Lara. "Indigenous people. Slave race. Smarter and better with weapons than most of the Donderlies, really, but the Donderlies keep them in line and compliant with the hoop earrings."

Lara raised her eyebrows.

"Electroshocks," Jack answered for her.

"Just about the best technology Donderly has to offer, and they use it controlling their slave population," the Doctor clarified, disdain marking his face.

"It sounds like not everyone believes in slave labor anymore though," Lara commented. "What's all that talk about progressives?"

Jack and the Doctor looked at each other carefully. "Doc, the history books about the Battle for Donderly made it sound like the Progressives were much farther along than this in their battle for equality," Jack said. "But it's three weeks before Viking Day and this may as well be Earth in the late 1700's."

The Doctor looked at Jack and sighed. "History books often show history in the best light. Honestly, I had thought so, too." He jumped up, suddenly, his mood changing once again in an instant, as Lara had learned long ago that he did when he was forcing optimism. "So. Any ideas?"

Doctor POV

Four hours later, the group was no closer to finding a definite plan than they had been when they had started. "You really should've kept Bino around, Doc," Jack said finally.

"Ah, but who am I to stand in the way of young love? She's obviously got a man…"

"Or a woman," Jack said, smiling.

"Well, we'll just have to question her on the way to the meeting," the Doctor finished.

Jack nodded. "Well, I'm off to bed. You two have a great night, Mr. and Mrs. John Smith." He winked at the Doctor, who forced himself not to blush at the implication.

"Go ahead and take the bed," the Doctor said, alone in their room a few minutes later. "I should be good for a day or so, yet."

"Nonsense," Lara said. "I've slept the last couple of days away. It's you who needs sleep."

"You're just past your regeneration, and-…"

Lara had shifted into caustic-mode, he could already tell. "For God's sake, Doctor, the bed's a king size. We can share it, before I have to continue this ridiculous argument. Surely the bed can support a 5'1" female and a man that is, if possible, even skinnier."

She had a point and he knew it, so the two of them settled, side by side, in the bed, though neither was ready for sleep. Finally, Lara turned to him and asked, "Doctor?"

"Hmm?" he stayed facing the ceiling. He had a feeling he knew what she was going to ask.

"What happened to Jack?"

The Doctor let out a sigh, and remained staring at the ceiling. Not answering her was not an option, for several reasons, but he honestly didn't think he could get out the words. He turned to her, finally, and offered, "It's… it's complicated."

He was met with her green eyes, closer to his face than he expected. "Show me," she said imploringly, holding out two fingers.

It was the easiest solution he could think of, and he wondered that he hadn't thought of it himself. Perhaps he was getting out of practice at psychic contact. No sooner had he nodded, slightly, than Lara had forged the connection. She was in his mind, and he relished in the thought that she was present there, willingly, and that he no longer had to feel guilty about it – she needed this as much as he did.

Still, this time, she was here for a purpose. The Doctor led her along a series of doors, ultimately unlocking one called _Jack_ , and ushering her inside.

 **…** ** _"_** ** _Good evening. Hope we're not interrupting. Jack Harkness. I've been hearing all about you on the way over…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _He knows. I had to tell him about us being time agents."_**

 ** _"_** ** _And it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Spock."…_**

 _"_ _That's Rose,"_ Lara said in the Doctor's head _. "She was the one on Macalania. The one you were…"_

 _"_ _Yes,"_ the Doctor said, cutting Lara off. _"And that's my previous incarnation. All ears and rough edges, I was."_ Lara laughed _._

 _"_ _We'd gotten stuck in the middle of the London blitz, following Jack's trail, though we hadn't known at the time that's what we were chasing. And when we got down to Earth, the humans were turning into these creatures..."_ The Doctor let the image of one of the gas mask creatures circle in his head. " _Are you my mummy?"_

 _"_ _Rose had met up with Jack before I did,"_ the Doctor continued, brushing away the memory of the gas mask creature. _"He was a time agent from many years ahead of our time. But he'd turned rogue, and made a big mistake."_

 _ **"**_ _ **What kind of Chula ship landed here?"**_

 ** _"_** ** _What?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _He said it was a war ship. He stole it. Parked it somewhere out there, somewhere a bomb's gonna fall on it unless we make him an offer."_**

 ** _"_** ** _What kind of war ship?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Does it matter? It's got nothing to do with this!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _This started at the bomb site. It's got everything to do with it. What kind of war ship?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _An ambulance! Look. That's what you chased through the time vortex. It's space junk. I wanted to kid you it was valuable. It's empty. I made sure of it. Nothing but a shell. I threw it at you. Saw your time travel vehicle – love the retro look by the way, nice panels – threw you the bait… I wanted to sell it to you, then destroy it before you found out it was junk. It's a con. I was conning you, that's what I am, I'm a con man! I thought you guys were time agents. You're not, are you?"_**

 **** _"_ _But Jack hadn't realized the Chula ambulance was full of nanogenes,"_ continued the Doctor.

 _ **"**_ _ **It wasn't empty, Captain. There was enough nanogenes in there to rebuild a species. When the ship crashes, the nanogenes escape. Billions upon billions of them. Ready to fix all the cuts and bruises in the whole world. But what they find first is a dead child. Probably killed earlier that night, and wearing a gas mask… These nanogenes have never seen a human being before, don't know what a human being's supposed to look like. All they've got to go on is one little body, and there's not a lot left. But they carry right on. They do what they're programmed to do, patch it right up. Can't tell what's gas mask and what's skull, but they do their best. Then off they fly, off they go, work to be done. 'Cause you see now, they think they know what people should look like, and it's time to fix all the rest."**_

 ****Lara looked horrified. _"But Jack stayed, once he realized what he'd caused, and he helped me put it right, at great cost to his own life. The boy's mother was there, and when the nanogenes found her and matched the DNA, they realized they'd made a mistake, and everything was put to right._

 _ **"**_ _ **Everybody lives, Rose! Just this once! Everybody lives!"**_

 _"_ _But Jack, he used his ship to stop the bomb that was supposed to fall on the Chula ambulance… it would've killed him, if we hadn't pulled him onto the TARDIS. So then, he started traveling with us,"_ the Doctor finished, smiling.

 _"_ _So… how did he get like he is,"_ asked Lara, and the Doctor frowned again. The scene sped forward. _"We were surrounded by a dalek fleet,"_ he said, slowly. " _I'd sent Rose home. Long story short, I built a Delta wave to destroy the daleks."_

A flicker of recognition flared in Lara's eyes, and the Doctor felt a surge of pride. She _had_ read some of the books on physics and chemistry she'd taken with her back on Earth. " _But even for you, that would take months to build… wouldn't it?"_

He could tell she was trying to impress him with her knowledge. _"I'm a genius, remember? Only a few days, for me. Building it was easy, but there still wasn't time to refine it. I had a choice… I could wipe out the Dalek fleet, and Earth along with it, or I could leave the universe to the mercy of the daleks."_

 _"_ _Like the Time War,"_ Lara said, her eyes boring into him, even in his mind. The Doctor started. He knew, of course, that Lara had known for some time what had happened in the Time War, but it was the first time she'd made that blatant a reference to it. This was not her being blunt, he thought – this was calculated, to catch him off guard. It had succeeded. His mind spun, and Satellite 5 disappeared for just a moment to reveal a large battle in front of orange skies. He quickly reigned in his thoughts, however, and looked away from her, refusing to acknowledge that anything had changed.

 _"_ _ **Tell them the truth, Doctor. There is every possibility the Delta wave could be complete, but no possibility of refining it. The Delta wave must kill every living thing in its path, with no distinction between human and dalek. All things must die by your hand."**_

 ** _"_** ** _Doctor, the range of this transmitter covers the entire Earth."_**

 ** _"_** ** _You would destroy daleks and humans together? If I am creator of all things, then what does that make you, Doctor?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _There are colonies out there. The human race would survive in some shape or form, but you're the only daleks in existence. The whole universe is in danger if I let you live. Do you see Jack? That's the decision I've got to make for every living thing. Die as a human or live as a dalek. What would you do?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You sent her home. She's safe. Keep working."_**

 _"_ _And he died, to buy me time."_ The Doctor could tell that Lara was horrified by the daleks. She'd read about them, even perhaps seen flashes of them on the TARDIS, but never like this. She could feel, he knew, the fear that radiated from his mind when they were near, and the hatred, and he could tell that it startled her. _She has to know._

 _"_ _But then Rose came back,"_ the Doctor continued. _"She looked into the heart of the TARDIS…"_ Lara gasped.

 **"** ** _You looked into the Time Vortex, Rose, no one's meant to see that!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I want you safe… my Doctor. Protected from a false God… You are tiny. I can see the whole of time and space, every single atom of your existence, and I divide them. Everything must come to dust. All things, everything dies. The Time War ends._**

" _But she couldn't control it,_ " the Doctor continued.

 ** _"_** ** _Rose, you've done it, now stop. Just let go."_**

 ** _"_** ** _How can I let go of this? I bring life…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _But this is wrong! You can't control life with death!"_**

 _"_ _She brought him back!"_ Lara exclaimed, and the Doctor nodded.

 _"_ _She brought him back permanently… forever."_

Lara took a minute, then nodded. The Doctor severed the connection, pulling back from Lara carefully. She had tears in her eyes, and, he realized, so did he.

"Doctor," she said carefully, "Is… is that how Rose…" The Doctor had forgotten that he'd talked about Rose to Lara even less than he'd spoken about the Time War.

"Nope!" he said, forcing himself to brighten. "I absorbed all of the energy from the Time Vortex from her, and put it back in the TARDIS."

Lara looked shocked. "That's why you regenerated!"

"Yeah," he said. "Worst regeneration I've ever had. Still nothing like what you've just been through, though." He could tell she was about to ask another question about Rose, so he changed the subject back to Jack. "I ran into him again a couple of years later. He'd lived through a couple of centuries by then. 'Been killed a few times, gotten the message. He's immortal."

Lara looked at the Doctor, clearly startled. "There's nothing we can do?"

He sighed. "Nothin'. He wears it well, old Jack. Most humans would've experimented a lot more than he has – run themselves through a woodchipper a few times, or had themselves buried in different places, but Jack, he plows on. He's got a good head on him, too, in the end – not nearly the most irresponsible specimen I could've sent galavanting around the universe with a knowledge of time and a body that won't die. He's caused relatively less damage than I would've predicted, considering."

Lara gave him a hard look, and he sighed again. "But no, there's nothing I can do. He'll get old and die, eventually, like everyone else. I've met him, ah, later on, a couple of times now, too. I was around when he finally does go, actually. It'll be billions upon billions of years, though."

Lara nodded, and gave him a wry smile. It had been enough sharing for tonight, he thought. (Far too much, actually, but perhaps it had been needed.) "I'm going to go check on Jack," he said to her, and by the time she nodded he had already shut the door behind him.


	30. Chapter 29: The Meeting Hall

Author's Note: I don't own David Tennant or Doctor Who. That'd be awesome though.

Also, so excited! Chris Chibnall!

Chapter 29: The Meeting Hall

Doctor POV

"You like her," was Jack's first reaction when the Doctor knocked on his door that night. "Lara, I mean."

"'Course I like her!" he said, ignoring the implication. "She's bloody brilliant, she is. Are you all set for the night?"

"D'ya know how I know?" Jack asked, gesturing the Doctor into his room.

"Oh, _look_ , you've got a lovely view!"

"Because you're acting like you always did with Rose."

The Doctor's shoulders sagged, and, after gathering himself, he turned to face Jack. "It's complicated."

"Wouldn't be you if it wasn't," Jack shot back at the Doctor without missing a beat.

"Her husband just died less than a week ago, and she regenerated a few days after."

"About that. You're not the last one, then? The last Time Lord."

The Doctor explained how Lara had come to be a Time Lady. To be honest, he had spent much less time than Jack seemed to think worrying about his romantic prospects with Lara. His greatest worry until yesterday was whether or not she would actually make it through her regeneration unscathed. It seemed, however, that his experiment with reversing the chameleon arch had been a success, and she now had three regenerations after this one. This was two more than he had, however it had also occurred to him that she might need them – she did tend to be fairly jeopardy-friendly.

"And what now, then?" Jack asked.

"Well, I don't know, do I? You grabbed ahold of my ship and I got blasted to the rural side of Donderly!" he grinned at Jack maniacally.

"Doctor. Seriously, though. I've always wondered…" And it was then that the Doctor noticed that Jack had maneuvered himself in front of the only door to the room. "Do you _dance_ , ever?"

"I…" The Doctor glared daggers at Jack. "I _dance_ like any other creature! Weeeeelllll," he amended his statement, "maybe not quite like you." This made Jack grin, and he headed back over to get something out of the closet. The Doctor could feel his face heating up, and he headed for the now vacated door.

"This is going to be interesting," Jack finished, laughing when he caught sight of the Doctor's face again. "How long am I allowed to travel with you this time?"

"Until I can pawn you off on the next willing and promiscuous lifeform, Don Juan," the Doctor shot back, grinning as he shut the door behind him.

He had managed to hold his own with Jack, but the truth was that Jack's suggestions had only added to his own growing list of worries about the subject. Yes, he had _danced_ before, but it had been years ago, and it had never been serious. He had never had a bond like the one Lara and Billy had. He had wanted it, of course, with Rose, but there had always been far too much in the way for that – his duty and saving the world on the one hand, and her fragility and short life-span on the other.

 _"_ _You can spend the rest of your life with me. But I can't spend the rest of mine with you. I have to live on. Alone. That's the curse of the Time Lords."_

Perhaps he didn't have to live on alone, but this didn't necessarily equal a life, or a _bond_ , with Lara. It was enough – more than enough, really – that she would have to connect with his mind every few days now, to keep herself healthy. It was more than enough that she seemed to _want_ this, and that she seemed eager to jump back into this life with him. He had just connected earlier, and his mind was singing with happiness, but even so he could already feel himself craving it again.

Then there was the issue of the bed. Truthfully, both of them needed to sleep tonight. She was just out of her regeneration, and he had stayed awake far too long trying to see her through her regeneration. He tried again to insist upon the sofa, but she responded with her biggest eye-roll yet. " _Doc_ tor. _Honest_ ly. _Stop_ being bloody _chivalrous_. It's a king-sized bed, and we could fit another 3 people between us if we wanted." She lowered her voice. "But even more than that, Jack seems like a nice enough guy, but he throws off my time-sense, and the only time I feel halfway normal is when I'm around you." She said it hastily, as though she, too, were embarrassed to ask him to stay.

She wasn't wrong, either; the Doctor, too, felt the pull of the fixed point, even from the other room. Sharing the bed was simply necessary, and insisting otherwise only opened him up to possible vulnerability.

It was this reason, then, that the Doctor lay awake listening to Lara's even breathing from the other side of the bed. (There really was nearly enough room to fit three people between them.) He wondered if they would ever have the kind of bond the future Lara had implied. When would that come to be? He wondered when Lara would ask to connect minds with him next – surely she needed the connection at least every few days, but would she want to connect more often than that? Rassilon, he was starting to think like a schoolboy in love.

It was late into the night when the Doctor fell asleep.

Lara POV

"So there I was, stranded in the year 200100, brimming with as yet unknown immortality, and he swans off without me. But I had a vortex manipulator. It's like the TARDIS, only…"

"Don't listen to him, it's _nothing_ like the TARDIS," the Doctor snapped, rolling his eyes.

It was breakfast time the next morning, and both the Doctor and Jack had awoken earlier than Lara. Jack was making pancakes, and the two of them were continuing their usual witty banter.

"I was _going_ to say, 'Except not as high-tech,'" Jack said, rolling his eyes in his turn. "Anyway, so I went back to the 21st century, because, you know, it's his favorite part of history."

"It is _not_ ," the Doctor said indignantly. "I also _really_ rather like the Industrial period on Women Wept-…"

Jack cut him off. "Except I got it wrong, and landed in 1869, and the manipulator burnt out, so it was useless. I had to live through the entire 20th century waiting for a version of the Doctor that would coincide with me."

Lara thought for a second. "But he's seen you since then," Lara said, "you said so yourself."

"Yes, true," Jack said. "But, like he said, I was very busy with Torchwood at the time."

"Torchwood?" Lara asked, and Jack and the Doctor shared an amused look.

"Formed by Queen Victoria to combat the growing alien threat," Jack filled in.

"I was there when it happened!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Had a bit of trouble with a werewolf. Mind you, Queen Victoria wasn't happy. She banished us, after she knighted us."

It occurred to Lara, then, that there was so much about the Doctor she still didn't know.

"I heard about that!" Jack exclaimed. "Don't tell me that the 'naked girl' in the Torchwood stories was Rose!"

"The very same!" the Doctor said, now clearly becoming involved in his story. "She bet me 10 quid she could get Queen Victoria to say that she was _not amused._ "

"And did she?" Lara asked the Doctor.

"Right before she banished me," he said happily.

Jack caught Lara's eye, and the two of them rolled their eyes at each other.

"Anyway," Jack said, picking up the conversation. "It's over a century later, the only thing that's changed on Earth is the way people dress and their addiction to technology, and there's not a town on Earth that isn't familiar with my _handsome_ good looks and chiseled chin." Jack was grinning.

"Bet that's not all they're familiar with," the Doctor said, and this time he was _definitely_ sending Jack a warning look. Lara choked, and it occurred to her that it may actually be the first innuendo she had ever heard the Doctor use. Perhaps this Captain Jack was good for him.

"Quite," Jack said, flashing another unabashed smile at Lara and ignoring the Doctor entirely. Lara giggled.

Bino arrived with the carriage at half past eight, and the Doctor used the entirety of the ride to the Meeting Hall quizzing her about everything from the town's general attitude towards the Chi Chi Gi to the restaurants which served the most delectable dishes. Bino's answers ranged from excited and loquacious to shy and cautious. She talked rapidly about the best restaurants in town, current politics, and even the current attitudes toward the Chi Chi Gi, and the progress of the Progressives versus the Conservatives in a general sense. "There's a lot of people who think that the Chi Chi Gi should have rights, but nobody can agree on what rights they should have. Almost everyone but the most conservative, for example, like Old Bob MacCaferty – even the mayor, really – seem to be of the agreement that the hoop shockers - our hoop earrings, I mean - are antiquated and not necessary. That comes to a vote next Saturday, it's all very exciting! Nobody uses the hoop shockers anymore, not really. Nobody under 16 even has them anymore, and they all seem to mind well enough. Plus, enough of us are indentured servants now that things really wouldn't change much without them. But, some of the more progressive notions, like _equal_ rights, well, most people aren't on board with that yet."

Some things, however, Bino was more closeted about. "What do I do for fun? Well… you know… Chi Chi Gi things. And I spend time with my friends…" But she was blushing.

Finally, their carriage arrived at the Meeting Hall, and Lara, Jack, and the Doctor filed out. "You're not coming in?" the Doctor asked Bino.

Bino shook her head, smiling wryly. "Only the Chi Chi Gi elders are allowed in. There are only 17 of them, and they were allowed in only five years ago, and only to discuss issues relating to the Chi Chi Gi. But, it's a start. Maybe someday things will be different." She flashed them a large smile before she drove away.

The Meeting Hall was very large, and very segregated. Overall, it fit nearly 250 people in all. The 17 Chi Chi Gi sat on the right side near the front, in their own small section. The stage had about 30 seats, which were assigned to individuals the town appeared to think were most likely to speak. Lara recognized the Mayor on the stage, and was only mildly surprised to find that the Doctor, Jack, and herself had been assigned seats on the stage as well.

Once all of the seats were full, the Mayor began the meeting. "Ahem! Ahem!" He waddled to the front of the stage and banged on the podium until there was quiet. "Yes! Well, as you all know, this meeting was called to address the threat of the Vikings. Now, six months ago, our trade with Lorrelly was booming, and the Vikings were a far-off threat. Now, however, scattered among us today are the few survivors of the Viking's pillage of Lorrelly, may the rest of them rest in peace.

"That being said, we don't know for a fact that the Vikings plan to invade us. We've always been a peaceful city, and Lorrelly was much more adamant about standing against them. However, at this point we must assume that there is every possibility that there will be a Viking invasion in the future. In fact, I have news about exactly that from young Robbie MacCaferty. Robbie?"

The Doctor had been staring avidly into space at a spot somewhere on Lara's chest, but upon hearing Robbie's name he gave a small jump. " _What's up?"_ Lara asked, grabbing his hand.

" _Robbie MacCaferty_ ," the Doctor said, then appeared to collect himself after the small shock of the telepathic contact. _"He was the one… he was instrumental in creating a plan that helped defeat the Vikings. This is history in action!"_

Robbie McCaferty couldn't have been more than twenty. He was tall and muscular, but also very thin, and his ears were too big for his head. He was by far the youngest person in the room; with the possible exception of Lara, Jack, and the Doctor, everyone else gathered in the Meeting Hall was well over 40. He was confident and sure-footed, however, and when he spoke it was in a deep voice. "I am from Lorrelly," he said. "So please trust me when I say that we have no time to waste. The population of Lorrelly until six months ago was twice what we have here in Donderly, but only about 150 of us survived. The Vikings brought 5,000, and attacked while we were sleeping. Almost everyone was killed. My mother and brothers were killed in front of me. Anyone who wasn't killed in the first wave of the invasion was killed by arrows while they tried to swim across the channel here to Donderly. Some, like my younger sisters, drowned trying. The Vikings don't leave survivors when they can help it. They kill, and then they take residence."

Lara could tell that Robbie's words were making the room uncomfortable. A couple of people actually got up and left the room, including three of the Chi Chi Gi. All over the Meeting Hall, residents of Donderly were catching the eyes of their neighbors, but they were looking more uncomfortable than fearful. Clearly, the population of Donderly had not counted on such a powerful and terrifying speech so early in the meeting.

"Sorry to scare you," said Robbie, blushing somewhat, and the crowd laughed uncomfortably. "I know that there has been no sign of any Vikings near here, and we have never shown any outward hostility toward the Vikings. I know that we have never taken sides in the war going on outside our boundaries." At these words, the crowd began to whisper to each other again, seeming reassured.

Robbie caught the eye of the Mayor, who nodded at him, and he plowed on. "There is something you all should know, however, which is why I was invited to the Meeting Hall today." The room took a breath. "Two Viking scouts were caught the other day up on Sahm's Rock – you know, the lookout point? They were spying." You could have heard a pin drop. Finally, after another breath, Robbie admitted, "I was there with a couple of my friends, early in the morning. They saw that I had spotted them, and they… they fired on me." Robbie gave an involuntary flinch in his right shoulder. "And… and I killed them."

The room erupted into instant chaos. A couple of the women began to cry, and several people swore. It was a full five minutes before the Mayor was able to get the people to calm down enough for him to speak again. "Thank you, Robbie. For your services and quick thinking, a Medal of Valour will be awarded to you." Robbie bowed, and resumed his seat.

The audience had resumed talking and whispering, and when the Mayor spoke again, he seemed to have grown taller and louder. For the first time, Lara could see why this squat, round, red-faced man may have been elected mayor. "Now, Ladies and Gentlemen," the Mayor said with a bite, "Here is what we know. We know that in Lorrelly, the scouts were the beginning. Our survivors from Lorrelly have reported that scouts were seen about a month before the invasion. Other survivors from other towns have reported similarly. So… SILENCE!"

The crowd fell silent once again. "Now, we will do this in an _orderly_ fashion, or I will send the culprits _out_ of the Meeting Hall to find out what's going on later," the Mayor threatened. "Anyway, we have called this meeting together to address the Viking threat. Next, I'm going to open the floor up for ideas. We know, first of all, that the Vikings will bring 5,000, which is about the same amount of people as the population of Donderly itself. Second, we also know that their weapons are far superior. They've got guns that can shoot multiple rounds at once, and never stop firing. So… like I said, I'm open for suggestions. If you have a suggestion or a point to argue, please line up in front of the podium. I will act as referee."

There was a scramble for the podium which included about half of the 250 people present. On and on it went, for the next two hours. "We need to invent new weapons," someone said. "Weapons that can fire 100 rounds per second-…"

"You're drunk, Nigel!" someone shouted from the back, and some welcome laughter filled through the room.

"We can all gather at Sahm's Rock," another person said, but one of the elders pointed out that the Vikings must already know about the look-out point, as that was where Robbie MacCaferty had shot them.

There was some progress in the right direction: the town almost unanimously decided to put their extraneous funds into armor, and spent a good half hour delegating resources to the town metal-workers, welders, and blacksmiths. Another ten minutes was spent on a fairly ingenious plan involving how to get those too old or young to fight into a make-shift shelter in an orderly fashion on a moments' notice.

Soon, however, nearly two hours had passed, and the crowd had still only decided on workable methods to create armor and hide the elderly and young citizens. Jack had stopped listening about a half hour previously, and was busy trying to catch the eye of one of the men in the back row whom he identified as a "silverfox." The Doctor had lasted approximately an hour before grumbling, "This meeting is such a ridiculous waste of time!" and standing up to get in line. Lara almost laughed as she looked at him, rocking between his feet and looking bored and impatient. It occurred to Lara that in her previous regeneration, she would have headed for home about twenty minutes into the meeting – fortunately, this regeneration seemed to have more patience.

Still, even Lara had drifted onto another train of thought when Robbie MacCaferty's voice finally drifted across the Meeting Hall. "Even if the entire town of Donderly fights – even if our armor is as strong as we can make it, and even if we somehow manage to create appropriate weapons, we're still heavily outmanned. They're 5,000 strong, and our entire population, including the women and children, is 5,000. Our only choice is to include the Chi Chi Gi."

Every eye was now on Robbie, who looked out from the podium. The Doctor was in line right behind him, and he had that blazing look in his eye, the look of the On-Coming Storm.

Once again, the Meeting Hall exploded into mayhem. "Preposterous!" someone said.

"Look, they don't even want to fight!" someone else yelled. "They'll cut their hoops right off before they fight with us!" They were right, perhaps: the Chi Chi Gi, who had previously been whispering among themselves, were now shaking their head adamantly and standing up as if readying themselves for a fight.

Still, Lara could tell that the general murmur throughout the crowd was of assent. "It would give us the best fighting chance of anything that's yet been mentioned," whispered an elderly man behind Lara to his friend. "We've all been thinking it… trust it to that MacCaferty boy to say it out loud."

"It's their home too," Robbie MacCaferty said from his place on the podium. "What will happen to them, when the Vikings take over?"

Again, there was a wave of assent among the crowd. Then someone yelled, "I've told you a million times, boy, to stop helping the help!" The voice came from a tan man near the back with a ruddy face – a face which looked distinctly like Robbie's, only older. It was his father, Lara knew, the Conservative, "Old Bob MacCaftery", as Bino had said.

Robbie was red in the face, but the Doctor stepped forward just in time. "Chi Chi Gi," he said, addressing the side of the room where about 10 of the Chi Chi Gi still remained. "What must the town of Donderly do to gain your assistance? I have heard that you total 15,000, and that many of you are skilled in metalworking. Robbie is right – if you join with the Donderlies, together you'll be more than a match for the Vikings. What would you ask of the Donderlies in return for joining their fight?"

The room was silent again, and holding its breath. Never, until now, had a member of the Donderly race given a member of the Chi Chi Gi race a _choice_ about anything. And certainly, nobody, until now, had outwardly asked a member of the Chi Chi Gi race what they _wanted._

The ten Chi Chi Gi leaned together and conferred for exactly seven minutes and 33 seconds, while the room held its breath. Finally, however, as if in slow motion, the eldest of the Chi Chi Gi said, in a booming voice, "Give us equality, and we will fight with you and win."


End file.
